Charting a Path Forward at the IRS: Initial Assessment and Plan of Action Daniel Werfel, IRS June 24, 2013 Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 4 Section 1: Accountability Section Summary ........................................................................................................................... 8 Actions Taken to Date ................................................................................................................... 9 Additional Actions Still to be Determined................................................................................... 12 Section 2: Fixing the Problems with the Review of Applications for Tax Exempt Status Section Summary ......................................................................................................................... 14 Management Changes .................................................................................................................. 15 Status of the TIGTA Recommendations ...................................................................................... 16 Section 3: Broad Review of IRS Operations and Challenges Section Summary ......................................................................................................................... 29 Improved Processes for Assessment of IRS Compliance / Enforcement Efforts ........................ 31 Enhanced Mechanisms for Taxpayer Recourse ........................................................................... 32 Opportunities and Challenges in Driving Greater Effectiveness in IRS Operations ................... 35 a. Positive Results and Trends ....................................................................................... 35 b. Budgetary Concerns ................................................................................................... 40 c. Human Capital Challenges ........................................................................................ 43 d. Mission Complexity ................................................................................................... 45 e. Better Early Warning Systems Needed...................................................................... 46 f. Transparency with Critical Oversight Organizations ................................................ 50 2 Concluding Thoughts ................................................................................................................... 53 Appendices Appendix A: The "Douglas Factors" Appendix B: "Be on the Lookout" (BOLO) Process Update Memo (May 17, 2012) Appendix C: Memo Suspending use of BOLO Lists (June 20, 2013) Appendix D: Revenue Rulings 2004-06 and 2007-41 Appendix E: IRS Letter to 501(c)(4) applicants on new business process option for selfcertification and determination Appendix F: "Publication 1" (Your Rights as a Taxpayer) 3 Charting a Path Forward at the IRS Initial Assessment and Plan of Action Introduction The IRS used inappropriate criteria that identified for review Tea Party and other organizations applying for tax-exempt status based upon their names or policy positions instead of indications of potential political campaign intervention. Ineffective management: 1) allowed inappropriate criteria to be developed and stay in place for more than 18 months, 2) resulted in substantial delays in processing certain applications, and 3) allowed unnecessary information requests to be issued.1 These findings by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) were the result of both organizational and individual failures within the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In response, the President and the Secretary of the Treasury installed new leadership at the IRS in late May 2013, and directed that a thorough review of the matters identified in the TIGTA report occur, individuals responsible for mismanagement or wrongdoing be held to account, comprehensive corrective actions be taken to address the problems with IRS review of tax exempt applications, and a forward-looking assessment take place to identify ways to improve IRS operations broadly. This Report is the response to the request by the Secretary of the Treasury for a "30 day" update on our progress in carrying out the above directives. The IRS Mission Statement states: To provide America's taxpayers top quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all. The inappropriate criteria used to screen applications for tax exempt status within the Exempt Organizations (EO) unit of the IRS were inconsistent with the standards set out in this Mission Statement. Over the past 30 days, an ongoing review of these events has shed further light on the management failures that occurred within the IRS and the causes of those failures. Several key leaders, including some in the Commissioner's Office, failed in multiple capacities to meet their managerial responsibilities at various points during the course of these events. Most notably, there was insufficient action by these leaders to identify, prevent, address, and disclose the problematic situation that materialized with the review of applications for tax exempt status. The full extent of these management failures and any further inappropriate actions that may have taken place are the subject of various ongoing reviews and investigatory efforts that are being 1 Inappropriate Criteria Were Used to Identify Tax-Exempt Applications for Review, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Reference Number 2013-10-053. May 14, 2013. 4 conducted by IRS, TIGTA, the Department of Justice, and the United States Congress, but that are not yet complete. The IRS is actively pursuing and supporting these fact gathering efforts. Reinforcing the importance of such efforts, we have heard from concerned taxpayers and citizens around the country. Specifically, members of the public seek answers to the following questions: ? ? ? ? ? What caused the events described in the TIGTA report? How are IRS employees who failed in their responsibilities being held to account? What fixes are being put in place in the IRS's EO unit to permanently address the problems TIGTA identified with the application process for tax exempt status? Do the risks and failures identified by the TIGTA report extend to other areas within the IRS? Is the IRS properly positioned to effectively execute its broader operations? While the IRS is committed to timely and comprehensively addressing each of these questions, this Report does not purport to provide a complete and final set of answers at this time. Instead, this Report provides an initial set of conclusions and action steps, along with an explanation of the additional review and investigatory activities underway. In developing the Report, we closely reviewed the TIGTA audit and underlying materials furnished by TIGTA, reviewed thousands of pages of materials relevant to both the review of applications for tax exempt status and broader IRS operations and risks, established an integrated leadership group from various business units around the IRS to assist in our evaluation, brought in new leadership with expertise in public sector management to provide perspectives from outside the IRS, and engaged in an ongoing dialogue with TIGTA and Congress to synthesize their ongoing review and investigation of these matters with our own. As specifically requested by TIGTA and the Department of Justice, and in order to avoid disruption with their ongoing investigations, we are relying on the professional investigators from these entities to interview employees regarding root causes of the identified problems in the review of the applications for tax exempt status. This Report has three sections: In Section 1, Accountability, we describe the process undertaken to determine the causes of the events described in the TIGTA report and the manner in which we are ensuring accountability for mismanagement or, to the extent identified, other forms of wrongdoing. In Section 2, Fixing the Problems with the Review of Applications for Tax Exempt Status, we detail the numerous process improvements underway to meet and go beyond the recommendations from TIGTA, in order to ensure that appropriate screening criteria are in place and that taxpayers receive effective customer service in the review of applications for tax exempt status. 5 In Section 3, Broad Review of IRS Operations and Risks, we identify a series of actions that will improve performance and accountability in the leadership ranks of the IRS by ensuring that critical program or operational risks are identified early, raised to the right decision-makers in the organization, and are timely shared with external stakeholders, such as Congress, TIGTA, and the IRS Oversight Board. Each section of the Report contains an upfront summary, highlighting both conclusions reached and discrete actions taken. By way of an overall summary, significant findings and actions in the Report are as follows: Findings: ? ? ? ? ? ? Significant management and judgment failures occurred, as outlined in the TIGTA report, that contributed to the inappropriate treatment of certain taxpayers applying for tax exempt status. At this time, while fact gathering is still underway, we have not found evidence of intentional wrongdoing by IRS personnel, or involvement in these matters by anyone outside of the IRS. We concur with the nine TIGTA recommendations for improving the review of applications for tax exempt status. Further, we believe there are additional steps, beyond the TIGTA recommendations, that will help to ensure the problems identified by TIGTA are permanently corrected. The IRS Commissioner's Office and other leaders across the organization do not always have sufficient knowledge of emerging operational risks among the various IRS business units. This fact limits the ability of senior IRS leaders and managers to identify and help manage organizational risks, and stifles the timely flow of such information to external stakeholders. There is no current evidence of the use of inappropriate criteria in other IRS business unit operations. However, we recognize there is public concern in this regard, and therefore additional mechanisms to evaluate such criteria should be initiated. The IRS has mechanisms, such as the Taxpayer Advocate Service, to assist taxpayers who are having difficulty in resolving matters with the IRS. However these mechanisms are not well understood by taxpayers and therefore are not being sufficiently leveraged. Actions: ? ? New leadership has been installed at all five levels of the senior executive managerial chain that had responsibility over the activities identified in the TIGTA report. We have empaneled an Accountability Review Board to provide recommendations within 60 days (and thereafter as needed) as to any additional personnel actions that should be taken to ensure there is appropriate accountability for the events described in the TIGTA report. 6 ? ? ? ? ? We have suspended the use of "be-on-the-lookout," or BOLO, lists in the application process for tax exempt status. We have established a new voluntary process for certain taxpayers who have been in our priority backlog for more than 120 days to gain expedited approval to operate as a 501(c)(4) tax exempt entity through self-certifying to certain thresholds and limits to political and social welfare activities. We will establish a review process by which criteria and screening procedures across the IRS will be periodically assessed for any risks of criteria that would be inconsistent with our Mission Statement. We will establish an Enterprise Risk Management Program to provide a common framework for capturing, reporting, and addressing risk areas across IRS. This is intended to improve the timeliness by which such information is brought to the attention of the Commissioner and other IRS leaders, as well as external stakeholders. We will initiate additional internal and external education and outreach about the role of the National Taxpayer Advocate in assisting taxpayers in resolving problems with the IRS. The actions described above, as well as many others detailed further in this Report, are guided by commitments to increased transparency of IRS operations, new checks and balances where objective assessments can ensure that appropriate screening criteria are in place and that taxpayers receive effective customer service, and an environment where IRS leaders, beginning with the Commissioner's Office, have active and timely knowledge of emerging operational risks and take responsibility for driving swift and effective solutions. Our pursuit of broad-based reform in the IRS does not mean we believe that the specific challenges and concerns identified in the TIGTA report are present in other parts of the organization. In contrast to the management challenges raised by TIGTA, there are many instances across the IRS where effective management is leading to positive organizational performance. Section 3 of this Report elaborates on this issue, recognizing that both strengths and weaknesses should be considered when assessing management reforms. In this way, our agency-wide reforms build on a foundation of successful results within many of the IRS business units, while closing more significant performance and management gaps in others. Lastly, although there is a desire for immediate answers regarding the circumstances that led to the inappropriate treatment of taxpayers identified in the TIGTA Report, such expediency must be carefully balanced with the need to engage in thorough and fair fact-finding. Working in concert with the leadership of the Department of the Treasury, Congress, TIGTA, the Department of Justice, and other key stakeholders, we have initiated both a candid vetting of issues that impact IRS effectiveness and a robust action plan to gather additional evidence and address needed improvements in a fair, yet expedient, manner. In this way, the process of restoring and sustaining the public's trust in the IRS is underway. 7 1. Accountability Section Summary In determining the proper level of accountability for those individuals responsible for the various failures identified in the TIGTA report, our approach is two-fold: 1. We are identifying the individuals within the IRS who are responsible for the mismanagement outlined in the TIGTA report, evaluating the extent to which their actions (or failure to act) contributed to the problems identified, and determining the appropriate consequences for each individual. 2. We are digging deeper into the evidence to determine if there are instances of wrongdoing or inappropriate conduct beyond the mismanagement identified in the original TIGTA report. By extending our review beyond the scope of the original audit, we are ensuring a more comprehensive understanding of the circumstances that led to these events. The first component of our plan to ensure accountability relies principally on the employee interviews and underlying documents that supported the original TIGTA audit. In addition, investigatory materials beyond the original audit work are emerging through interviews of relevant IRS employees being conducted by TIGTA and Congress. We are also reviewing thousands of pages of materials compiled from various sources, including employee emails and other work papers and documents relevant to the application process for tax exempt status. Although these additional efforts are not complete and will take some time in order to be conducted properly, we have already made a number of key personnel changes in the leadership ranks of the IRS based on available information. In several cases, there is already evidence of mismanagement that warrants the removal of personnel from the positions they held at the time the TIGTA report was issued. As a result, there is now new leadership in place at five different levels of the IRS senior executive and management chain involved in these matters. As the investigation moves forward and we gather further evidence, new information will support our ongoing efforts to determine ultimate accountability for management failures. As of the publication of this Report, there is no evidence of intentional wrongdoing or misconduct on the part of IRS personnel beyond the conclusions reached in the TIGTA report. Moreover, we have found no evidence of involvement in these matters by any individuals outside of the IRS. However, investigatory efforts have yet to be completed, and we will make additional accountability determinations as appropriate. 8 Actions Taken to Date Numerous reviews and investigations have been launched to examine the review of applications of certain groups for tax exempt status.2 The TIGTA audit is just one of these reviews. Several Congressional committees and the Department of Justice are engaged in investigations, TIGTA has an additional investigation underway, and the IRS Commissioner's office is examining the specifics of the matter. Though these investigations are still ongoing, enough evidence is available to enable us to draw conclusions about the significant breakdowns in management and process that led to the development and utilization of inappropriate criteria. Based on these conclusions, we have already begun the process of holding individuals accountable for their actions. As a guiding principle in determining our actions, we recognize that our staff at the IRS, and particularly those in positions of leadership and decision-making, must be worthy of the public's trust and must behave consistent with our Mission Statement of operating with "integrity and fairness for all." The vast majority of IRS management and staff live up to this high standard. However, those who neglect this duty and cannot demonstrate the ability to hold the public's trust must be held accountable for their actions. Our other guiding principles include commitments to thoroughness, fairness, and expediency. Embedded in these principles is an inherent tension, but one that must be appropriately balanced. While we want to move quickly, we must be thorough in our fact finding and fair in our decisions. For this initial review, we have relied extensively on the data in the TIGTA audit report, additional underlying data supporting the audit, further fact gathering and analysis by IRS management through review of e-mails and other documents gathered to date, and evidence uncovered through the ongoing employee interviews conducted by TIGTA and Congress. Based on the information we have reviewed to date, we can draw the following conclusions within the two broad categories depicted below: ? Process and execution failures affected a particular subset of applicants for tax exempt status beginning in 2010: o Personnel in the Exempt Organizations (EO) unit applied inappropriate screening criteria to applicants for tax exempt status, creating BOLO listings that resulted in the improper targeting of a number of applicants for additional scrutiny. o Even after management in the EO unit identified this activity and put in place steps to correct the behavior, the inappropriate scrutiny was allowed to return. 2 Documents produced by the IRS during our 30-day review (and provided to Congress in response to their requests) revealed the use of political and other inappropriate labels in BOLO lists used by the EO unit, beyond those inappropriate labels identified in the TIGTA report. The Principal Deputy Commissioner directed the suspension of the use of all BOLO lists in the EO unit effective June 12, 2013. 9 o Some applicants were subjected to overly burdensome and intrusive questionnaires and data requests that went beyond an acceptable level of fact finding. o Applications for tax exempt status remained unresolved well beyond the 120 days that the IRS has set as the standard for making determinations due, at least in part, to internal misunderstandings, poor communication, ineffective collaboration, and a lack of clarity on the proper standards for adjudicating the applications. ? IRS management failures: o EO Management failed to identify the inappropriate activities in a timely fashion (it took 16 months from the time this activity began before the first briefing was provided to the EO Director on the topic, according to the timeline in the TIGTA report). o EO management failed to properly and expediently escalate these issues to the highest levels of senior leadership in the IRS. o Senior IRS leadership did not effectively oversee activities within EO, failing to take appropriate, proactive steps to identify and help address significant emerging operational risks. o Even after senior IRS leadership was informed of the inappropriate activities in question, it failed both to effectively put an end to the activity and to inform the proper committees in Congress in a timely fashion, despite requests from Congress on this topic. This summary, based largely on the findings and supporting evidence associated with the TIGTA report, represents a list of significant failures by the IRS, including failures of transaction processing, customer service, effective collaboration, management, and overall leadership. Moreover, our own review to date of the evidence and communications associated with these activities indicates significant miscommunication between and among the various parts of the EO unit, along with a lack of critical thinking and judgment on behalf of key executives within and beyond this unit. These leaders did not adequately identify emerging problems (such as a growing backlog of applications for tax exempt status), effectively manage their organizations while this backlog continued to grow unabated, or elevate risks and issues to higher levels of authority. As a result, we have taken actions to hold IRS personnel accountable, impacting multiple levels of the IRS organization. The Privacy Act of 1974 limits our ability to identify individual names and individual disciplinary actions in this Report. However, we can state that, by way of various personnel actions as a result of the activities covered in TIGTA report, a total of five executives are no longer in the positions they held at the time that the TIGTA report was published. As can be seen in Figure 1, the entire leadership chain, from the top of the organization to the front-line executives in the mission area 10 where these activities occurred, has been replaced since the TIGTA report was published (these changes are highlighted in red double-lined boxes). (Figure 1 is an adaptation of the portion of the IRS organization chart that was depicted in Appendix V in the TIGTA report, focusing on the chain of command that was relevant for the topics covered in that report.) Figure 1: High-Level Organizational Chart of Offices Referenced in the TIGTA Report 11 The management changes highlighted are consistent with our guiding principles of thorough, fair, and expedient action, and represent conclusions we have drawn to date. We also recognize that accountability determinations will continue to be evaluated until all investigatory activity is complete. Additional Actions Still to be Determined At this time, there are ongoing reviews and investigations being conducted by IRS leadership, TIGTA, the Department of Justice, and Congressional committees. As specifically requested by TIGTA and the Department of Justice, and in order to avoid disruption with their ongoing investigations, we are relying on the professional investigators from these entities to interview employees about root causes of the identified problems. Concurrent with TIGTA's work, IRS management is continuing to review relevant documentary evidence to ensure all aspects of the investigation are carefully considered. All of the various fact-finding efforts underway will have a direct bearing on decisions we will make about additional accountability measures. Consistent with our approach to date, if there is sufficient evidence to conclude that an individual can no longer hold a position of public trust within the IRS, we will take appropriate personnel action. To support these accountability determinations, we have convened an Accountability Review Board to assist in sorting through the record and helping identify appropriate personnel actions. This Board, consisting of senior executives and human resource professionals from across the IRS and representation from the Office of Personnel Management, will initially assist in determining any appropriate disciplinary action for executives who thus far have been placed on administrative leave. It is important to reach closure on those personnel actions in a timely fashion. The Board will also assist in any further personnel actions that may be appropriate for other individuals who participated in these activities. A one-size-fits-all approach to accountability is too broad for actions that may contain greater nuances for each of the individuals involved. Accordingly, we expect this Board to help sort through the evidence and yield recommendations for action on a case-by-case basis. Among other criteria, we expect that the Board will take into consideration the so-called "Douglas Factors," which are based on a landmark decision by the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and establish criteria that supervisors must consider in determining an appropriate penalty to impose for an act of employee misconduct (see Appendix A for a listing of the 12 "Douglas Factors"3). The Board, which was officially formed on June 17, 2013, is expected to provide recommendations for any disciplinary action on an ongoing basis over the next 60 days (and thereafter as needed). Any further action will be taken at that time.4 3 The MSPB case was Curtis Douglas v. Veterans Administration, 5 MSPB 313, 332 (1981). The IRS will ensure that any such action will be in compliance with all statutory and regulatory requirements governing personnel actions for Federal employees, including appropriate due process, consultation with employees' exclusive representatives, and other applicable requirements. In many cases, such compliance may require additional time and create constraints on the actions the IRS is able to take or publicly disclose. 4 12 It is important to note that, at this point in time, we have not uncovered any evidence that we believe changes the conclusions in the TIGTA report that this inappropriate behavior resulted from significant mismanagement and poor judgment. We have not found evidence of intentional wrongdoing on behalf of IRS personnel. Further, we have found no evidence to date that anyone outside the IRS had any role in initiating or encouraging this activity. However, we also recognize that TIGTA, the Department of Justice, and Congress, are gathering additional evidence, as are we, and we will evaluate all new information on an ongoing and frequent basis. We are committed to a full vetting of the evidence and will work with TIGTA, the Department of Justice, and Congress to make such evidence and conclusions public, to the extent allowable under the law. 13 2. Fixing the Problems with the Review of Applications for Tax Exempt Status Section Summary A critical component of our action plan is to implement necessary controls to permanently address the problems with the tax exempt application process, as identified in the TIGTA report. As noted in Section 1, installing new leadership is the first in a series of corrective actions. In this section, we will highlight the additional steps that we are taking to reform our business practices in the review of applications for tax exempt status, using the nine recommendations stated in the TIGTA report as the organizing framework for this discussion. We have accepted all nine recommendations in full, are making effective progress in implementing them, and have identified additional solutions beyond the TIGTA recommendations. Specifically, the IRS has: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Suspended the use of BOLO lists in the application process for tax exempt status; Initiated an end-to-end overhaul of the business processes by which applications for tax exempt status are fulfilled; Begun to develop new guidance materials to allow IRS staff to operate without BOLO lists and under the reformed, more efficient process flows; Added technical and programmatic experts to assist the EO staff with the review of applications for tax exempt status; Initiated a new process whereby certain taxpayers whose applications for 501(c)(4) tax exempt status had been identified for potentially inappropriate campaign intervention and have been in our backlog for more than 120 days have the option of obtaining an approval if they self-certify that no more than 40% of their expenditures and voluntary person-hours will go toward political campaign intervention activities and that at least 60% of their expenditures and voluntary person-hours will go toward promoting social welfare; Created a new "Advocacy Application Review Committee" to provide expertise from other parts of the IRS to review screening and determination decisions; Begun the process to create a new check and balance mechanism, where IRS criteria and screening procedures will be reviewed on a systemic basis and any material risks of the use of inappropriate criteria found will be 14 ? reported to the IRS Commissioner, the IRS Oversight Board, and the relevant tax committees of Congress; Engaged with the Department of the Treasury regarding the need for greater clarity for certain terms that are relevant for 501(c)(4) tax exempt organizations, with a commitment for inclusion in the next Treasury Priority Guidance Plan. We expect these various improvements and mechanisms to result in a rapid elimination of the existing backlog of applications for tax exempt status, with an initial focus on the backlog of potential political applications for tax exemption under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(4). The new procedures will also help to ensure that the high standards of the IRS Mission Statement for appropriate and effective customer service will be adhered to in the application process for tax exempt status going forward. Management Changes While many of the actions that will be discussed in this section revolve around the nine recommendations made in the TIGTA report, there are other important steps we are taking that go beyond those specific recommendations. For example, as discussed in the prior section, we have brought in new leadership for a number of critical positions, with clear direction on what is expected from these individuals in their roles as leaders and managers of our day-to-day operations. These new leaders span the entire IRS management chain and reach into the EO unit and the team responsible for determinations on applications for tax exempt status. In identifying the right individuals to install in new leadership positions, we have worked closely with the IRS senior executive team to identify individuals from across the organization who hold the highest levels of integrity and have demonstrated a strong track record of effective management. We have sought leaders who have the ability to get things done and to focus on the combination of proper adherence to our tax laws and regulations as well as in providing high levels of service to our taxpayers. Specifically, in addition to the appointment of new leadership in the Commissioner's Office, the following new leaders are in place within the IRS: ? ? ? ? Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Services and Enforcement (Heather Maloy) Office of the Commissioner, Tax Exempt and Government Entities (Michael Julianelle) Director, Exempt Organizations (Ken Corbin) Director, Rulings and Agreements, Exempt Organizations (Karen Schiller) These new leaders have already begun to not only execute on their new responsibilities, but also to collaborate with the many other experienced and high-caliber leaders already in place across the IRS. Collectively, we are moving forward with the necessary actions to address the 15 deficiencies highlighted in the TIGTA report. Specifically, we reaffirm IRS's full agreement with all nine of the recommendations made in the TIGTA report and our firm commitment to the implementation of each of those recommendations. In some cases, we are implementing solutions that go beyond what was in the TIGTA recommendations, but those recommendations are our starting point. TIGTA has provided a roadmap for how to correct the problems that TIGTA identified, and we will be following that roadmap, including expanding upon it where there is even greater opportunity for improvement. It is also imperative that we implement our corrective steps in a rapid and transparent manner, with an immediate focus on resolving the applications that have been sitting in the backlog for an extended period of time, which we refer to as our "priority backlog" (see the response to Recommendation 7 for more information on our new processes associated with managing this backlog and where we are in that process). As announced in Congressional testimony earlier this month, we will be maintaining and updating the status of each of these recommendations on the IRS web site, www.irs.gov, until such time as all of them have been implemented. Michael Julianelle, our new Acting Commissioner of Tax Exempt and Government Entities (TE/GE), and Ken Corbin, our new Acting Director of EO, are responsible for overseeing the implementation of these recommendations and providing frequent updates as to their status on our web site. The following provides the current status, actions taken to date, pending actions, and estimated completion date for each of the nine TIGTA recommendations. Status of the TIGTA Recommendations TIGTA Finding No. 1 The Determinations Unit Used Inappropriate Criteria to Identify Potential Political Cases TIGTA Recommendation 1: Ensure that the memorandum requiring the Director, Rulings and Agreements, to approve all original entries and changes to criteria included on the BOLO listing prior to implementation be formalized in the appropriate Internal Revenue Manual. a. Status: Complete (additional action beyond recommendation still ongoing) b. Actions Taken to Date: i. The memorandum was put into effect on May 17, 2012 (see Appendix B). Because, as discussed below, the use of BOLO lists has been suspended, this memo regarding their use will not need to be incorporated into the IRM at this time. ii. The Principal Deputy Commissioner directed the suspension of the use of BOLO lists within the EO function on June 12, 2013. This action was 16 formalized via a memorandum from the Acting Director, Rulings and Agreements on June 20, 2013 (see memo in Appendix C). This memorandum will be further formalized in Interim Guidance issued by June 28, 2013. 1. In the absence of BOLO lists, the Determinations Unit will continue to screen for information affecting the determination of applications for tax exempt status, including activity tied to political campaign intervention, but it will be done without regard to specific labels of any kind. c. Pending Actions: i. Provide training to staff on how to apply the appropriate screening criteria in the absence of BOLO lists (part of which will be based on actions outlined in Recommendations 2 and 3). d. Estimated Completion Date: June 28, 2013 for the original TIGTA recommendation; September 30, 2013 for the follow-on activity TIGTA Recommendation 2: Develop procedures to better document the reason(s) applications are chosen for review by the team of specialists (e.g., evidence of specific political campaign intervention in the application file or specific reasons the EO function may have for choosing to review the application further based on past experience). a. Status: Ongoing b. Actions Taken to Date: i. The Acting Director, EO is satisfying this recommendation in two steps. 1. Improving the documentation of the reasons applications are chosen for review by the team of specialists. a. The Acting Director, EO has organized a team to review, update, and formalize the documentation. The team consists of representatives from various IRS divisions, including Small Business / Self-Employed, Wage and Investment, Chief Counsel, and Exempt Organizations. b. The team formed and began its work the week of June 17, 2013. 2. Reviewing the process associated with the selection of applications for tax exempt status for further review. a. This same team will partner with members of an IRS internal team of highly trained process improvement experts, which will also include employees from the office of Privacy, Governmental Liaison, and Disclosure, to evaluate the business process associated with the initial evaluation of the application through the steps associated with the selection for review. 17 b. The expected outcome is a more efficient business process, to be coupled with enhanced documentation. c. This process review began the week of June 17, 2013. c. Pending Actions: i. Complete assessments of the documentation and the current business process. ii. Implement the use of the new documentation and updated business process. d. Estimated Completion Date: September 30, 2013 TIGTA Recommendation 3: Develop training or workshops to be held before each election cycle including, but not limited to, the proper ways to identify applications that require review of political campaign intervention activities. a. Status: Ongoing b. Actions Taken to Date: i. Implementing this recommendation will be a four-step process, the first of which has already been completed: Step 1: Review current content of the training program and materials a. The Acting Director, EO established a team to review the training materials currently in use regarding proper identification of applications that require review of political campaign intervention activities. b. These materials had been initiated in previous workshops, but had not been aggregated and consolidated into formal training materials. c. Pending Actions: i. Three steps remain in the implementation of the four-step process: Step 2: Update the content of training materials based on new information derived from Recommendation 2 a. This same team will monitor the progress of the implementation of Recommendation 2, and update the training materials accordingly. Step 3: Migrate the training to IRS's Electronic Learning Management System, which is the Service's core repository for enterprise-wide training Step 4: Deliver the training b. As recommended by TIGTA, training related to political campaign intervention will be delivered close in time to election cycles. We estimate that this broad delivery of training will begin on or around January 2014, in order to train personnel in advance of the 2014 election cycle. 18 c. Training will be repeated for all relevant EO employees on an annual basis. d. Estimated Completion Date: June 30, 2013 for initial training material to be reviewed; January 2014 for delivery of new training TIGTA Finding No. 2 Potential Political Cases Experienced Significant Processing Delays TIGTA Recommendation 4: Develop a process for the Determinations Unit to formally request assistance from the Technical Unit and the Guidance Unit. The process should include actions to initiate, track, and monitor requests for assistance to ensure that requests are responded to timely. a. Status: Complete (with additional activity ongoing to enhance the technical solution that is supporting the new process) b. Actions Taken to Date: i. Implementing this recommendation will be a two-step process: 1. Define the process and implement with a short-term technology solution a. Close and transparent coordination between the Determinations Unit and the Technical and Guidance Units is critical to effectively managing the applications that are in the process of being reviewed. b. These organizations formalized the process of coordination on June 21, 2013, under the direction of the Acting Commissioner, TE/GE and the Acting Director, EO. c. The new process is documented in written procedures, and was enabled using a spreadsheet-based tracking tool that monitors more than 20 different data elements associated with a particular case, including a number of dates associated with key steps in the processing of the case. d. The spreadsheet model, which went into operation on June 21, 2013 and satisfies the TIGTA recommendation, was utilized because it could be deployed quickly and provides a basic structure for effective collaboration. 2. Evolve to a more robust technology solution that can ultimately supplant the spreadsheet model (see below for pending actions) c. Pending Actions: i. Evolve to a more robust technology solution 19 1. While the spreadsheet model is an acceptable short-term solution for this collaboration, we believe a more robust technology would be appropriate for a longer-term solution. 2. The Acting Commissioner, TE/GE and Acting Director, EO will review existing technical solutions that perform a similar coordination and tracking function within the IRS, and look to repurpose one or more of those solutions to fulfill this requirement. 3. The final step will be to convert the coordination process from the spreadsheet-based model to this more robust technology solution. d. Estimated Completion Date: Step 1 (spreadsheet based solution) went into effect on June 21, 2013. Step 2 evaluation is underway, with an estimated implementation date of September 30, 2013. TIGTA Recommendation 5: Develop guidance for specialists on how to process requests for tax exempt status involving potentially significant political campaign intervention. This guidance should also be posted to the Internet to provide transparency to organizations on the application process. a. Status: Ongoing b. Actions Taken to Date: i. One of the significant challenges with the 501(c)(4) review process has been the lack of a clear and concise definition of "political campaign intervention". For example, it is often difficult to determine whether or not a particular paid advertisement is taking a position on a public policy issue or constitutes an attempt to influence an election, and, in turn, how that decision might factor into the overall evaluation of whether an organization is primarily engaged in promoting social welfare. Such complicated determinations currently rely on lengthy revenue rulings and judicial opinions with examples that serve to assist an evaluation based on all facts and circumstances. ii. Given the complexity of the issues involved and the immediate need to alleviate the existing backlog of 501(c)(4) applications that have some indication of potential or actual political campaign intervention, IRS Chief Counsel has assigned six additional attorneys to support the specialists in the EO Technical team on the most complex cases related to political campaign intervention. The IRS Chief Counsel team began to provide this additional support and expertise on June 11, 2013. Also, an expedited process (explained in the response to Recommendation 7) relying on applicant certifications for cases in the backlog was developed and is being implemented. 20 iii. The applicable revenue rulings can be found in Appendix D of this Report, and are being posted to the Internet. c. Pending Actions: i. In addition to the primary revenue rulings, the specialists, who reside in the EO Technical division, will receive further guidance in these areas from IRS Chief Counsel. ii. The IRS will determine how to process all other 501(c)(4) applications involving potentially significant political campaign intervention activity after reviewing the experience of the use of expedited procedures for the priority backlog (as described in the response to Recommendation 7) that is the initial focus for these efforts. iii. Any subsequently-created guidance or other materials affecting the determinations process, including the guidance discussed in the response to Recommendation 8, will be posted to the Internet. d. Estimated Completion Date: June 27, 2013 for the process for the priority backlog; January 31, 2014 for processing of other 501(c)(4) applications TIGTA Recommendation 6: Develop training or workshops to be held before each election cycle including, but not limited to: a) what constitutes political campaign intervention versus issue advocacy (including case examples) and b) the ability to refer for follow-up those organizations that may conduct activities in a future year which may cause them to lose their tax exempt status. a. Status: Ongoing b. Actions Taken to Date: i. The Acting Director, EO engaged the EO Determination Manager to initiate development of training material and to establish the delivery timeline. ii. The material for part (a) will be based on the revenue rulings found in Appendix D, as well as the additional guidance referenced in the response to Recommendation 5. iii. The material for part (b) will be influenced by the business process analysis described in the response to Recommendation 2. c. Pending Actions: i. IRS Chief Counsel will review additional training materials that are produced. ii. Training will be delivered on an as-needed basis, with a particular focus on the timeframe leading up to the future election cycles. d. Estimated Completion Date: January 31, 2014 21 TIGTA Recommendation 7: Provide oversight to ensure that potential political cases, some of which have been in process for three years, are approved or denied expeditiously. a. Status: Ongoing b. Actions Taken to Date: i. Appropriately resolving the cases that have been in the queue for action and resolution for unacceptable periods of time is a top priority for the IRS, and we have already taken a number of steps to not only begin to clear that backlog, but also to dramatically improve both the oversight and the throughput within the evaluation process. ii. For the purposes of this discussion, we have defined the "priority backlog" for our initial focus to be 501(c)(4) applications that have been previously identified as "potential political cases" - i.e., the focus of the TIGTA audit - and that were submitted to the IRS for initial review more than 120 days prior to May 28, 2013 (the first week of new leadership at the IRS). There were 132 cases that fell into this category at that time. iii. Specifically, we are following two primary paths that will help us to clear this backlog. Of note, Path 2 is available specifically for those applicants in the priority backlog, and is not available to other applicants at this time. iv. Path 1: Strategic Utilization of Additional Resources and Process Refinement 1. In recognizing the challenge in evaluating some of these applications (in particular trying to determine whether the applicant is primarily engaged in social welfare activities), we have taken steps to dedicate additional resources from other segments of the IRS to support the determinations that are pending in this backlog (as mentioned in the response to Recommendation 5). We recognize that many of these determinations are "close calls" based on the current laws and regulations and the specific facts and circumstances of each individual submission. There is a detailed body of fact-based guidance that informs these determinations, thereby often requiring a sophisticated legal and complex factual review to evaluate the application. Path 1 to implementing this Recommendation focuses on providing additional staff to support specific elements of this complex evaluation process, as well as refinements to the review and approval process: a. Additional clerical staff members have been provided from the Wage and Investment Division to assist in managing 22 the logistics associated with the current backlog, to ensure that packages are moving quickly from one stage in the process to the next. b. Front-line EO Determinations Unit staff members have received instructions to escalate applications to the EO Technical Unit where there is evidence of a noninsubstantial degree of potential political campaign intervention in the applications. c. The EO Technical Unit has received additional instructions on how to evaluate these cases. d. The EO Technical Unit now has the ability to engage additional attorneys assigned by IRS Chief Counsel to assist in these complicated determinations. The additional attorneys began to provide this support on June 11, 2013. e. We have created a three-member "Advocacy Application Review Committee," consisting of executive counsel and the new executive leadership in TE/GE that will review the file, apply the law to the facts presented, and evaluate whether the applicant has satisfied the requirements for exemption under Section 501(c)(4). This Review Committee will render the final determination for any cases for which additional review has been requested and for any case for which a denial has been proposed. f. The Review Committee will also be responsible for frequent updates (at least weekly) to the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Services and Enforcement, on the status of resolving all cases in the priority backlog, providing expanded oversight to ensure the milestones put forth in this Report remain on track to be met. 2. Thus far, we have made determinations on 34 cases in the original backlog (26%). Those determinations include 17 approvals, 4 applications withdrawn by the applicants, and 13 cases closed for "failure to establish" (i.e., failure to provide necessary information). None of the cases in this backlog have been disapproved to date. 3. Importantly, due to the fact that some of these determinations represent difficult and complex judgments, some may still take longer to resolve than others. 23 v. Path 2: Streamlined Approval Process for the Priority Backlog 1. The primary challenge associated with making a determination for the cases in this backlog relates to the significance of potential or actual political campaign intervention activity associated with the applicant. The current regulatory standard allows for some political campaign intervention or other activity, but the organization must be "primarily" engaged in activities that promote social welfare. 2. Within certain parameters, it is appropriate for applicants in the priority backlog to have the opportunity to self-certify the degree to which political campaign intervention may be part of their organization's scope of activity. With this new option, applicants who self-certify that their level of political campaign intervention activity is below a defined threshold, and that their level of social welfare activity is above a defined threshold, will be approved on an expedited basis, which is expected to be two weeks or less (see below for threshold levels). 3. Specifically, we have crafted the following statements for certification by applicants in the priority backlog: 1) During each past tax year of the organization, during the current tax year, and during each future tax year in which the organization intends to rely on a determination letter issued under the optional expedited process, the organization has spent and anticipates that it will spend 60% or more of both the organization's total expenditures and its total time (measured by employee and volunteer hours) on activities that promote the social welfare (within the meaning of Section 501(c)(4) and the regulations thereunder). 2) During each past tax year of the organization, during the current tax year, and during each future tax year in which the organization intends to rely on a determination letter issued under the optional expedited process, the organization has spent and anticipates that it will spend less than 40% of both the organization's total expenditures and its total time (measured by employee and volunteer hours) on direct or indirect participation or intervention in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office (within the meaning of the regulations under Section 501(c)(4)). 24 4. Appendix E contains a sample letter providing the option for Path 2 to an applicant that is currently part of the priority backlog. This letter also contains a brief set of additional instructions and safe harbors for counting activities. In order to use Path 2, the organization must use the specific safe harbors and must include the following activities when counting the amount of political campaign intervention it is engaged in: a. Public communication identifying a candidate within 60 days prior to a general election or 30 days prior to a primary; b. Events at which only one candidate, or candidates of only one party, are invited to speak; and c. Grants to other 501(c) organizations that engage in political campaign intervention. 5. We chose the thresholds described here (below 40% for political campaign intervention activity and above 60% for social welfare activity) and provided special instructions for measuring activities in order to provide a basis for determining what is meant by "primarily" engaged in social welfare activities (with the understanding that no precise definition exists in relevant revenue rulings, cases, or regulations for "primarily" in this specific context and that the statute does not provide clear guidance on how the determination should be made). Organizations that wish to be evaluated under all the facts and circumstances rather than to conduct their own measurements retain that option via Path 1. 6. Any entity in the priority backlog that determines that its political campaign intervention activity represents less than 40% of its total activity using the safe harbor rules established in the instructions should be able to confidently respond to this assertion in the affirmative. If the estimate is above 40% or cannot be made because of the safe harbor counting rules, the case involves a "closer call" that would be more appropriate to go through the review process outlined in Path 1 above. Similarly, if the estimate for social welfare activity is below 60%, also representing a "closer call," then we believe it would be more appropriate to go through the review process outlined in Path 1. 7. Applicants will have 45 days to return the optional representations to the IRS, and no denial determinations will be made in that 45day timeframe. 25 8. Path 2 is completely optional for the applicant and no inference will be drawn from an applicant's choice about whether or not to participate. 9. If the applicant declines to pursue Path 2, the application will continue to be worked through Path 1 for its determination. 10. In either case, the applicant may still be subject to an examination by the IRS at a later date. vi. Concurrent with the publication of this Report, and while continuing to process applications via Path 1, we are sending Path 2 representation letters this week to those applicants that remain in our priority backlog at the time of this Report. c. Pending Actions: i. Continue processing the priority backlog items via the Path 1 option, while pursuing the Path 2 option in parallel. ii. Applications that are determined to be approved via Path 1 will receive their determination notice immediately upon decision. iii. Applications that are supported by the certifications associated with Path 2 will cease to be reviewed in the determinations process, and will receive their approval notice within two weeks of IRS's receipt of the certifications. d. Estimated Completion Date: September 30, 2013. TIGTA Recommendation 8: Recommend to IRS Chief Counsel and the Department of the Treasury that guidance on how to measure the "primary activity" of I.R.C. ? 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations be included for consideration in the Department of the Treasury Priority Guidance Plan. a. Status: Complete b. Actions Taken to Date: i. IRS initiated discussion with the Department of the Treasury in May 2013 to discuss possible changes to the guidance on how to measure "primary activity" with respect to social welfare for 501(c)(4) applications. These discussions included the consideration of how to clarify the definition of "political campaign intervention." ii. The Department of the Treasury agreed to include these items in the next Priority Guidance Plan, consistent with the TIGTA recommendation. iii. See section below, Additional Considerations, for additional discussion. c. Pending Actions: i. None remaining d. Estimated Completion Date: May 2013 26 TIGTA Finding No. 3 The Determinations Unit Requested Unnecessary Information for Many Potential Political Cases TIGTA Recommendation 9: Develop training or workshops to be held before each election cycle including, but not limited to, how to word questions in additional information request letters and what additional information should be requested. a. Status: Ongoing b. Actions Taken to Date: i. The Acting Director, EO has updated the business process associated with creating letters which request additional information from 501(c)(4) applicants, particularly with respect to potential political campaign intervention activity. ii. In particular, the Office of Taxpayer Correspondence, which resides in the Return Integrity and Correspondence Services unit within the Wage and Investment Division, has been engaged to begin to assist in this process in both an advisory role and an oversight role. 1. The Office of Taxpayer Correspondence is the IRS hub for comprehensive correspondence services, ranging from design and development to effectiveness and downstream impact. This office helps the IRS business units provide consistency, quality, and plain language for notices and letters, with the goal of helping taxpayers take the appropriate action to resolve their tax issues. c. Pending Actions: i. Under the oversight of EO management, the Office of Taxpayer Correspondence will create guidance on the appropriate content and wording of questions for use by the case workers who actually prepare the letters that request this additional information. ii. The Office of Taxpayer Correspondence will also assist EO Management in further enhancing the business process of letter preparation, providing a review of the content of these letters and the consistency in the application of the standards prior to dissemination to applicants. d. Estimated Completion Date: The process changes and initiation of advisory services by the Officer of Taxpayer Correspondence went into effect on June 4, 2013. The pending actions will continue to develop, including the formal delivery of training, until January 2014 (or longer, if the support is still required). 27 Additional Consideration It is important to make clear that the IRS does not write the country's laws (the Constitution places that responsibility in the hands of Congress), nor is the IRS responsible for the development of tax policy (the Department of the Treasury maintains that responsibility on behalf of the Administration). The IRS is responsible for administering the nation's tax laws and regulations. However, we would be remiss in any analysis of the problems associated with 501(c)(4) applications not to highlight the significant challenges that exist within the current construct of laws and regulations that govern this set of applications. It has been a common refrain from Congress and the public that the rules that are applicable for 501(c)(4) eligibility are ambiguous and confusing, both for the taxpayer and for the staff within the IRS whose responsibility it is to administer those laws and regulations. Section 501(c)(4) provides exemption for organizations that, among other things, are "operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare." Under regulations promulgated in 1959, an organization is deemed to meet this test if it is "primarily engaged in promoting in some way the common good and general welfare of the people of the community." The same regulations expressly exclude political campaign intervention from the definition of social welfare. The distinction between campaign intervention and social welfare activity, and the measurement of an organization's social welfare activities relative to its total activities, have created considerable confusion for both the public and the IRS in making appropriate 501(c)(4) determinations. Both the taxpayer and the IRS would benefit greatly from clear definitions of these concepts. The lack of clarity did not cause the inappropriate screening and poor managerial oversight noted in the TIGTA report, nor does it excuse them. But we do believe that it played a role in the lengthy delays in at least some of the determinations associated with these cases. 28 3. Broad Review of IRS Operations and Challenges Section Summary In addition to fixing the problems identified in the TIGTA report, it is important that we respond to emerging questions from taxpayers on the extent to which similar issues may exist in other parts of the organization. To address these questions, we have initiated: ? ? ? A thorough review and vetting of the organizational failures that resulted in the problems identified in the TIGTA report; An assessment of whether similar issues exist in other IRS business units; A series of reforms to address each finding. The table below summarizes our current conclusions resulting from this review. Problem Area from TIGTA Report Broader Applicability Planned Reform Use of inappropriate criteria to select taxpayers for increased compliance scrutiny. Criteria used to select taxpayers for increased compliance scrutiny in the 501(c)(4) application process violated the IRS Mission Statement. There is no current evidence of the use of inappropriate criteria in other IRS business units or processes; however we recognize there is public concern in this regard and therefore additional mechanisms to evaluate appropriateness of criteria should be initiated. The IRS has mechanisms, such as the Taxpayer Advocate Service, to assist taxpayers who are having difficulty resolving matters with the IRS. However these mechanisms are not well understood by taxpayers and therefore are not being sufficiently leveraged. The IRS Commissioner and other leaders across the organization have not always had sufficient knowledge of emerging operational risks within the various IRS business units. Validate that screening and selection criteria are fully documented across all IRS business units and make them subject to routine objective review to address the concern that has been expressed. Deficiencies in taxpayer service. Taxpayers confronting undue burden and delays with respect to the review of 501(c)(4) applications did not appear to have an effective mechanism to resolve matters through the IRS. Leadership awareness and accountability. Substantial delay occurred with IRS leaders responsible for overseeing the EO unit in identifying and addressing emerging risks. 29 Raise taxpayer awareness of their rights and tools, such as the Taxpayer Advocate Service, and further elevate the transparency of, and accountability for, taxpayer issues being routinely raised by the National Taxpayer Advocate. Structural enhancements to improve the systematic and timely flow of information on emerging operational risks to the attention of the IRS Commissioner and other key IRS leaders, including the establishment of a new Enterprise Risk Management Program. Disclosure of critical information to external stakeholders. Information on emerging risks within the EO unit shared with Congress was insufficient, despite specific inquiries into the matter. Overall lack of information by IRS leaders on emerging risks stifles the timely flow of such information to external stakeholders, such as Congress and the IRS Oversight Board. Establish routine reporting on IRS operational risks with Congress and the IRS Oversight Board (in cases where disclosure would involve taxpayer sensitive information, disclosure would occur on a confidential basis to the relevant Congressional tax committees). Our broader review of the IRS also evaluated other challenges and opportunities that may exist. All organizations face challenges and risks, and it is our intent to raise awareness of these elements of our business in order to proactively mitigate them before they manifest themselves as true operational issues that could impact our ability to effectively fulfill our core mission. We will explore some of our challenges with respect to budget, cost management, human capital, and the overall complexity of our mission responsibilities. Finally, any comprehensive review of IRS operations must recognize the many critical successes of the IRS in carrying out its mission. These successes not only positively impact the lives of many citizens, but also serve as a foundation for greater improvements in IRS operations in the future. They also remind us of the talented and dedicated employees of the IRS who are passionate about their mission to effectively serve the taxpayer and who stand ready to make the necessary changes to sustain a more effective IRS in the future. Taxpayer Concerns - Issue Areas and Solutions A thorough response to the TIGTA report requires an assessment of whether the risks and failures identified therein extend to other areas within the IRS. Our review has provided an opportunity to develop an initial set of conclusions regarding the IRS as a whole, beyond the inappropriate activities that occurred with respect to applications for tax exempt status. Our framework for thinking about this broader review has been grounded in the concerns and questions we are hearing from the public. We have summarized these issue areas as follows: ? ? Improved processes for IRS to validate the appropriateness of our compliance and enforcement efforts, and their consistency with the IRS Mission Statement; Enhanced mechanisms for taxpayers to address situations where they feel IRS actions are causing undue burden or delays; and 30 ? Broader opportunities to drive greater accountability, transparency, and effectiveness in the IRS execution of its core mission. The remainder of this Report provides a description of these issues and planned actions steps. Improved Processes for Assessment of IRS Compliance / Enforcement Efforts It is critically important to the effective working of our tax system that the public believes it is receiving appropriate treatment from the IRS that is consistent with principles of our mission statement. This was not the case for certain organizations applying for tax exempt status. The first two sections of this Report have highlighted how we are addressing those problems. In this section, we begin to assess such challenges in the context of other parts of the organization. From what we have learned, the selection processes followed by the Determinations Group in the EO Unit are fundamentally different from the rest of the IRS in a number of ways. First, unlike most other parts of the laws that the IRS enforces, the 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) determinations processes involve the review of an applicant's political activity because whether the applicant is engaged in political campaign intervention is a factor in determining tax exempt status. Second, as previously discussed, the definitions and criteria associated with the laws and regulations for determining 501(c)(4) tax exempt status suffer from ambiguity that contributed in part, along with poor management and judgment, to the development of inappropriate selection criteria and subsequent delays encountered by taxpayers. All current indications are that this sort of political activity analysis, ambiguity, and subjective utilization of criteria does not occur elsewhere in the IRS. Whether in the divisions of Wage and Investment, Small Business / Self-Employed, or Large Business and International (our other major business units), there is no current evidence that our selection criteria is applied inappropriately. The selection criteria are constantly reviewed and adjusted based on extensive data collection and analysis, with the intent to yield the highest return on our enforcement dollars. Despite these conclusions, the nature of the problems identified in the tax exempt application process, coupled with the concerns raised by taxpayers, warrants a review of certain process controls within the IRS. To this end, the new Chief Risk Officer at the IRS will establish a plan within 60 days that will initiate a comprehensive, agency-wide review of our compliance selection criteria, encompassing all business units across the IRS. To prepare for this review and assessment, we are working with the leadership of the major business units to conduct a thorough evaluation of all relevant documentation, and to prepare updates as warranted. This step will be followed by an analysis of these documented criteria and an objective assessment of the appropriateness of such criteria. We will then share the details of this assessment with the leadership of the Department of the Treasury, the IRS Oversight Board, and the Chairpersons of 31 the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee.5 After the initial agency-wide assessment is complete, we will pursue similar reviews of these processes and selection criteria for at least one of our major business units on an annual basis, and share those results in a similar fashion. Our expectation in carrying out these new procedures is that, with respect to the appropriateness and effectiveness of our compliance or enforcement selection criteria, we maintain consistent and robust standards across the IRS for: ? ? ? ? ? Documentation; Frequency of updates; Benchmarking across IRS business units; Objective testing and assessments; and Routine collaboration with appropriate external stakeholders on the results of all the aforementioned activities. Enhanced Mechanisms for Taxpayer Recourse As detailed in the TIGTA report, many of the applicants for tax exempt status faced long delays and unnecessary information requests, compromising their ability to reach an effective, timely, and appropriate resolution of their matter with the IRS. As detailed throughout this Report, breakdowns in managerial effectiveness at various levels within the IRS contributed to these unacceptable results. In addition to management missteps, our system also failed in this instance because more steps could have been taken to make these applicants aware of the avenues they can pursue to resolve open issues with the IRS. The primary option for taxpayers that have difficulty resolving their IRS problems through normal channels is the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS). TAS was established as part of the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, and has four primary functions: i. Assist taxpayers in resolving problems with the Internal Revenue Service; ii. Identify areas in which taxpayers have problems in dealing with the Internal Revenue Service; iii. To the extent possible, propose changes in the administrative practices of the Internal Revenue Service to mitigate problems identified under clause (ii); and iv. Identify potential legislative changes which may be appropriate to mitigate such problems.6 The Taxpayer Advocate has the authority to determine significant hardship and issue Taxpayer Assistance Orders that, among other things, can require the IRS "to cease any action, take any 5 These entities are identified because they are allowed to review taxpayer information, pursuant to Internal Revenue Code Section 6103. To the extent legally allowable, this information will further be shared with the Ranking Members of these Committees along with other interested Committees within Congress. 6 Internal Revenue Code ? 7803(c)(2)(A) 32 action as permitted by law, or refrain from taking any action with respect to the taxpayer as permitted under the law."7 According to the Taxpayer Advocate Service website (http://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/About-TAS/Who-We-Are): The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is Your Voice at the IRS. Our job is to ensure that every taxpayer is treated fairly, and that you know and understand your rights. We offer free help to guide you through the often-confusing process of resolving your tax problems that you haven't been able to solve on your own. Remember, the worst thing you can do is nothing at all! According to this same web site, TAS received nearly 220,000 new cases in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, and was able to provide full or partial relief to the taxpayers in nearly 77% of the cases it closed. Moreover, both IRS employees and taxpayers can identify and elevate systemic problems to TAS through its Systemic Advocacy Management System (SAMS) at http://www.irs.gov/uac/Systemic-Advocacy-Management-System-(SAMS). Thus, there is an avenue for taxpayers when they believe they are being treated inappropriately, are searching for recourse in resolving matters before the IRS, or need help because they have hardship circumstances that merit immediate attention. But, in this case, TAS was not involved in virtually any of the cases associated with the inappropriate treatment outlined in the TIGTA report with regard to 501(c)(4) applications. In fact, only 19 such cases were referred to TAS over the three-year period beginning at the start of 2010, the majority of which were referred by Members of Congress and not the taxpayer or IRS personnel. These results warrant specific improvements to the overall effectiveness of our TAS framework. One of the primary sources of cases being referred to TAS is the IRS workforce. The workforce has an obligation to refer cases to TAS when they are unable to resolve a taxpayer's problem. Historically, this has rarely occurred within the EO unit and, as noted, did not occur for the concerned 501(c)(4) applicants in the matters described in the TIGTA report. It was the responsibility of IRS personnel in the EO unit to refer these cases to TAS, but that did not occur. As an important first step in addressing this shortcoming, the Acting Commissioner of the TE/GE division and the Acting Director, EO will work with the National Taxpayer Advocate to put a training program in place for all EO personnel on their responsibilities with respect to referring cases to TAS. Of note, these processes often work as intended across most of the IRS. Personnel are properly trained and frequently do refer cases to TAS as required, although there are steps we can take to further emphasize these responsibilities on an ongoing basis. Moreover, there are other mandatory protections in place that are routinely administered in the proper fashion. For example, whenever any taxpayer has been identified for audit, among the first acts performed by the IRS is to send the taxpayer a copy of "Publication 1," Your Rights as a Taxpayer (see 7 Internal Revenue Code ? 7811 33 Appendix F for a copy of "Publication 1"). This document provides a clear listing of some of the most important rights provided to all taxpayers, including the following categories: I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. Protection of Your Rights Privacy and Confidentiality Professional and Courteous Service Representation Payment of Only the Correct Amount of Tax Help with Unresolved Tax Problems (including contact information for the Taxpayer Advocate Service) Appeals and Judicial Review Relief from Certain Penalties and Interest Your Rights as a Taxpayer also explains the basic processes and rights associated with examinations, appeals, collections, and refunds. However, since the applicants for 501(c)(4) tax exempt status were not selected for audit, they did not receive "Publication 1." We are currently reviewing areas across the IRS where we believe the distribution of "Publication 1" may be appropriate even when audit selection is not occurring. We expect to complete this analysis and implement any changes in our current processes before the end of the current fiscal year. Thus, processes are in place to inform taxpayers of their rights and to refer cases to the Taxpayer Advocate Service. However, the nature of the problems identified in the TIGTA report warrant additional steps to ensure these processes are fully leveraged across the IRS. We need to be sure that all IRS employees are aware of their responsibilities with respect to ensuring taxpayers know their rights, and, in particular, how to engage TAS when they feel they are being treated inappropriately or are encountering excessive bureaucratic obstacles. Therefore, beyond the additional training we will pursue specifically for the EO unit as highlighted above, the Acting Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement will work with the National Taxpayer Advocate to evaluate the training provided to all of IRS employees in this regard, and modify it, as appropriate, to make necessary improvements to fill whatever gaps may exist in the current processes or actual behavior. These IRS officials will deliver an action plan to the Commissioner's Office within 60 days with any recommendations that will help mitigate the IRS's risks in this area. Finally, the National Taxpayer Advocate will provide the Commissioner's Office with any additional suggestions that should be considered for expanding national awareness of the TAS program. We recognize that budgetary constraints may limit our efforts in this regard, but we would like the opportunity to evaluate suggestions on how we can improve awareness of this important element of ensuring appropriate and consistent treatment of all taxpayers when dealing with the IRS. 34 Opportunities and Challenges in Driving Greater Effectiveness in IRS Operations The IRS has an essential responsibility on behalf of the United States Government and the public. The IRS collects 92% of the Government's receipts, representing $2.524 trillion in gross tax receipts before tax refunds in FY 2012. At the same time, the IRS is challenged by many of the same concerns affecting other large organizations, both public and private sector, including budgetary concerns, human capital concerns, and overall programmatic execution concerns. In this section of this Report, we reflect on where we perceive challenges exist for the IRS at this point in time, as well as some concrete actions we are taking and ideas we have under consideration that will continue to position the IRS to successfully execute its mission. The specific topics for discussion include: ? ? ? ? ? ? Positive Results and Trends Budgetary Concerns Human Capital Challenges Mission Complexity Better Early Warning Systems Needed Transparency with Critical Oversight Organizations Positive Results and Trends Our first observation is that the IRS has been highly successful in mission execution across its broad portfolio for many years. From an investment standpoint, enforcement actions alone generate revenue of nearly $52 billion per year over the last decade, yielding an average Return on Investment (ROI) of $4.65 for every dollar invested in the IRS during that time (see Figure 2). 35 Figure 2: IRS: Positive Return on Investment 30 59.2 57.6 56.4 50 47.3 55.2 50.2 48.9 48.7 25 43.1 Revenue (in Billions) 20 40 15 30 10.2 10.2 10.6 9.9 9.7 9.7 10.6 10.9 9.4 11.5 9.4 12.1 12.1 10.3 10.1 11.8 10 20 9.8 9.6 5 10 ROI Appropriations (in Billions) 60 4.20 4.60 FY 2004 FY 2005 4.60 5.60 5.20 4.20 4.70 4.60 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 4.20 0 0 TOTAL Enforcement Revenue Appropriated FY 2012 Adjusted for Inflation In terms of the most recent fiscal year, the following are just some of the key accomplishments that were delivered by the IRS in FY 2012: ? ? ? The IRS enhanced international compliance efforts by implementing new legislation and programs such as the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP). In January 2012, the IRS reopened the OVDP indefinitely with tightened eligibility requirements in response to strong interest from taxpayers and tax practitioners. From the establishment of the program in 2009 through the end of FY 2012, the OVDP has resulted in more than 38,000 disclosures of underpaid or unpaid taxes and the collection of more than $5 billion in back taxes, interest, and penalties. The IRS is working closely with businesses and foreign governments to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). This legislation strengthens offshore compliance efforts by creating new information reporting requirements on foreign financial institutions with respect to U.S. accounts and establishing new withholding, documentation, and reporting requirements for payments made to certain foreign entities. The IRS continues to implement its Return Preparer Program initiative, which began in FY 2011. The foundation of this program is mandatory registration for all paid tax return preparers. Through September 2012, more than 860,000 preparers have requested Preparer Tax Identification Numbers (PTINs) using the online application system. This 36 ? ? ? PTIN requirement provides an important and improved view of the return preparer community from which the IRS can leverage information to improve communications, analyze trends, spot anomalies, and detect potential fraud, including the refund fraud associated with the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and identity theft. As a result of these efforts, the IRS initiated several hundred criminal investigations into return preparers and achieved a 97.3% conviction rate. The IRS also leveraged real-time data during the 2012 filing season to improve the compliance of more than 1,400 preparers with high numbers of EITC errors. The IRS provides year-round assistance to millions of taxpayers through many sources, including outreach and education programs, issuance of tax forms and publications, rulings and regulations, toll-free call centers, www.irs.gov, Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs), Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites, and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) sites. The IRS's Criminal Investigative unit was the lead agency in the takedown of Liberty Reserve, one of the world's largest and most widely used digital currency companies, and seven of its principals and employees. This investigation, which uncovered an alleged $6 billion money laundering scheme and the operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business, is believed to be the largest money laundering prosecution in history, involving law enforcement actions in 17 countries. The IRS continues to identify and stop fraudulent return filings and refunds through our Accounts Management Taxpayer Assurance Program (AMTAP) and Questionable Refund Program (QRP). In FY 2012 alone: ? AMTAP stopped more than 2.6 million fraudulent returns and more than $19.2 billion in fraudulent refunds; and ? QRP identified 1,708 schemes comprising more than 2,045,080 individual returns, detecting and preventing $12.3 billion in QRP refunds. In addition to these positive results in recent years, we have seen a number of positive performance trends. For example, the percentage of individual taxpayers submitting their returns electronically has doubled in the last decade (see Figure 3), with more than 80% of taxpayers now using the e-File process. 37 Figure 3: Percentage of Individual Taxpayers Filing Electronically 90% 80.5% 76.9% 80% 65.9% 70% 60% 50% 51.1% 54.1% 69.3% 57.1% 57.6% 46.5% 40.3% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% FY FY FY FY FY FY FY FY FY FY 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 The number of visits to IRS.gov has more than doubled in the last decade (see Figure 4). Figure 4: Number of Visits to IRS.gov 372.4 400 347.8 350 Millions of Visits 296.3 304.8 319.3 300 250 193.9 215.0 176.5 200 152.7 150 100 50 0 FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008* FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 * The FY 2008 increase was primarily the result of taxpayers accessing the "Where's My Stimulus Payment?" application We have also seen a dramatic increase in the use of the "Where's My Refund?" feature on the IRS website (see Figure 5). This tool, which is updated every 24 hours, has the most up-to-date information on refund status, thereby eliminating the need to contact the IRS by phone. 38 Figure 5: Use of "Where's My Refund?" On IRS.gov 132.3 140 120 Millions of Visits 100 77.9 80 66.9 54.3 60 39.2 40 32.1 22.1 20 24.7 14.9 9.5 0 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 These are just some of the technology-enabled innovations deployed and adopted in recent years that are driving down cost, driving up quality, and increasing the timeliness of taxpayer service. Importantly, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has also recognized the tremendous progress that the IRS has made in this area of information technology-enabled business modernization. In fact, GAO recently removed IRS from its bi-annual High Risk list in the category of Business Systems Modernization, where it had been for the previous 18 years. According to the GAO report: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) made progress in addressing significant weaknesses in information technology and financial management capabilities. IRS delivered the initial phase of its cornerstone tax processing project and began the daily processing and posting of individual taxpayer accounts in January 2012. This enhanced tax administration and improved service by enabling faster refunds for more taxpayers, allowing more timely account updates, and faster issuance of taxpayer notices. In addition, IRS has put in place close to 80% of the practices needed for an effective investment management process, including all of the processes needed for effective project oversight.8 These modernizations have been critical to improving both the efficiency and effectiveness of the IRS, thereby decreasing risk to the organization and taxpayers. One of our biggest concerns, however, is our ability to continue to innovate and invest in modernization due to the significant budget challenges facing the agency, which is the subject of the next section of this review. 8 High Risk Series: An Update, Government Accountability Office. GAO-13-283. February 14, 2013. 39 Budgetary Concerns Like all Federal agencies, the IRS has been challenged in this period of budgetary constraints and uncertainty. Since FY 2010, the IRS has received reductions to appropriated funding totaling almost $1 billion. In FY 2013 alone, sequestration and a rescission combined to reduce the IRS budget by $618 million. As an example of the effects of these constraints, during the period of time that this Report was being developed, we have experienced two agency-wide furlough days where the entire agency was shut down. The IRS will have another furlough day in early July, with the possibility of up to two additional furlough days before the end of the fiscal year. These furloughs, coupled with another year of an exception-only hiring freeze, are having real impacts, not only on our workforce, but also on our ability to serve the taxpayer. The IRS's FY 2014 budget request projects the resource needs to solidify our workforce and invest in critical programs that will enable better service to the taxpayer and a better return on the investment in the IRS. We have core program needs that must be addressed, or service and enforcement will undoubtedly be impacted. In addition, we have taken on new legislatively mandated responsibilities, including the implementation of Merchant Card Reporting, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), and the tax-related provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), each requiring an investment in resources that, without additional funding, must be absorbed into our declining baseline budget. Moreover, we have clear opportunities to increase tax revenue through enhanced enforcement and prevention of refund fraud activities, and by being more responsive to taxpayers, but we will fall short on these opportunities if sequester-level funding persists into FY 2014. The bottom line is that many of our most innovative and far-reaching programs are at risk for delay or cancellation without adequate funding. We are acutely aware that simply increasing budgetary resources does not always solve the problem. In fact, very few of the solutions proposed in this Report thus far implicate the need for additional funding. The primary emphasis of this review and the solutions posed herein is on leadership, training, processes, policies, communication, accountability, and risk mitigation as focus areas for enabling solutions that address the challenges we face at the IRS. However, the negative repercussions that will result if our funding is inadequate to meet our mission objectives present real issues for this organization and must be considered in any overarching review of IRS operations and risks. If we do not have funds to invest in our people in terms of recruiting new talent and sufficiently training our existing staff, as well as investing in the technology necessary to continue to build on the modernization efforts delivered over the last several years, there is no question that our service levels will suffer. Confronted with the current reality of declining budgets, the IRS has already taken numerous steps to reduce our cost of doing business. Beginning more than two years ago, the IRS began putting into place new guidance and controls to create additional efficiencies in routine operations, in order to ensure minimal impact to the delivery of our core mission. Specific 40 actions that the IRS has taken to achieve greater cost savings and efficiencies fall into several major areas, including the following: Personnel ? In FY 2011, a hiring policy started that allowed hiring only on an exception basis, requiring approval by the Deputy Commissioners. ? Buyouts were offered to 7,000 employees in FY 2012, with 1,244 employees accepting the offers. ? Full-time staffing at the IRS has declined by more than 8% over the last two years - about 8,000 positions. Travel and training ? The IRS limited employee travel and training to mission-critical projects beginning in FY 2011. Training travel alone has been reduced by $83 million from FY 2010 to FY 2012. ? The IRS has expanded the use of alternative delivery methods for in-person meetings, training, conferences, and operational travel. The IRS estimates that, by the end of FY 2013, training costs will have been reduced by about 83% and training-related travel costs by 87% when compared to FY 2010 levels. Space optimization ? In May 2012, the IRS announced a sweeping office space and rent reduction initiative that over two years is projected to close 43 smaller offices and reduce space in many larger facilities. Once complete, the initiative will slash IRS office space by more than 1 million square feet. ? The IRS continues to find innovative ways to do more with existing space, such as developing new workspace standards to decrease individual office size, as well as enhancing telework opportunities for our staff. Printing and postage ? In FY 2011, the IRS eliminated the practice of mailing tax form packages to taxpayers at the beginning of the filing season. Taxpayers are now directed to IRS.gov for the tax forms they need. ? All non-campus IRS employees have been converted to paperless Earnings and Leave statements. These have been successful efforts to try to maintain our levels of service while absorbing the budget reductions we have experienced. However, there are risks associated with such dramatic reductions in resources in such a short period of time. For example, as part of our recent workforce attrition, staffing for key enforcement occupations fell by 5,000 during the last two years, and, in the past year, enforcement positions declined by more than 1,300 jobs - a nearly 6% reduction. There are limits to the efficiencies we can absorb without negative ramifications 41 on our ability to fulfill our mission in the manner expected of us by the public. If we are not allowed to invest in future priorities, such as through strategic hiring, critical training, and targeted innovations in information technology, we will undoubtedly see a degradation in taxpayer service that adds risk to our voluntary compliance program, as well as a reduction in returns in the area of enforcement revenue, thereby further eroding government receipts. We will also lose critical institutional knowledge and compromise overall productivity if we fail to replace departing staff and inhibit our ability to recruit and grow the future leaders of the IRS. Given the seriousness of our budget situation, and the uncertainty about the prospects for funding increases in the near future, we must be dedicated to investing every dollar entrusted to us by the public in a wise and prudent manner. Simply put, we have no room for unnecessary expense in the IRS. Moreover, we have also begun to revisit policies that may have been considered appropriate in the past but that are no longer fiscally prudent given our current constraints. In this regard, we benefit from the fact that TIGTA is also on the lookout for inappropriate or unnecessary spending across the IRS that should be eliminated. Two TIGTA reviews, one included in a recently released report on training and conferences and another ongoing review on executive travel, have resulted in further opportunities to assess expenses, identify opportunities for change, and issue new policies where appropriate to further constrain spending. In both of these instances we have initiated policy changes to eliminate the kinds of expenditures that are no longer appropriate for the IRS. On May 31, 2013, TIGTA issued a report on a conference held for managers in the Small Business / Self-Employed Division in Anaheim, California in 2010.9 The report highlighted a number of management lapses that led to wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars. Many of these failures reflected a lack of judgment that, unfortunately, was not uncommon across the Federal Government in the years leading up to 2010 when this conference took place. We are pleased to report that, under the leadership and direction of the Department of the Treasury, the IRS has been aggressive in changing its business practices in this area, taking a completely new approach to training and conferences since that time. In fact, through FY 2012, the IRS reduced its annual spending on training and conferences sessions with more than 50 travelers by more than 80% since FY 2010. New procedures and management oversight structures are now in place at the IRS in this area, and we are confident that an event like the one referenced in the TIGTA report would not occur at the IRS today. Another example in which work by TIGTA is informing our thoughts on management processes at the IRS is an ongoing review on the topic of executive travel. Based on details that have materialized through the course of this audit, we have come to conclusions regarding a longstanding IRS policy on executive travel that we believe is no longer appropriate in our current 9 Review of the August 2010 Small Business/Self-Employed Division's Conference in Anaheim, California, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Reference Number 2013-10-037. May 31, 2013. 42 fiscal environment. TIGTA has examined how the IRS defines an individual's Post of Duty (POD) location, and our practice with a number of senior executives who have been permitted to reside in the location of their POD, but travel to another location to conduct their principal work. A few of IRS's senior executives have been operating in this mode for a number of years, receiving reimbursement for air travel, lodging, and per diem costs while traveling to their regular work location. It is important to note that this practice has been within permissible guidelines in the Federal Travel Regulation and with appropriate approvals from IRS senior management. In fact, those executives who have been commuting in this fashion more than six months of the year do so in a Long-Term Taxable Travel status and pay income taxes on a portion of their travel reimbursement. However, in the tight fiscal environment in which we find ourselves, and at a time where the entire IRS population is experiencing furloughs, the practice is no longer an appropriate use of scarce funds, and we have put a new policy into place that will no longer support this practice in the future. Our immediate challenge in implementing this new policy is that a number of senior and critical members of our executive team are participants in this program, and an immediate halt to the current practice without a reasonable transition period would be unacceptably disruptive to an organization that is already undergoing significant organizational and leadership adjustments. To that end, we will facilitate the transition in a responsible way that does not introduce unnecessary short-term risks to the agency and allows a reasonable, yet limited, transition period to the new policy for the current executives. Budgetary risks exist throughout the IRS, and it is incumbent on all of our managers and staff to protect every dollar as much as possible. Where we find opportunities to reduce costs, we will take them. We cannot afford any unnecessary expenditures when so much is at risk in terms of our ability to maintain the necessary level of service, our ability to invest in high-return innovations, and our ability to effectively implement our highest priority programs. Human Capital Challenges We have made a number of references in this Report to how critical the IRS workforce is in fulfilling our mission, which includes the objective to make improvements across the IRS whenever necessary. In spite of extensive modernization and automation deployed at the IRS over the years, we are still fundamentally a "people organization." Nearly 75% of our budget goes to human resources. People execute and oversee our processes. They are our primary source of mission accomplishment and our first line of defense against inappropriate behavior. Typically they help mitigate risks, but if not adequately trained, they can also create risk on behalf of the IRS. We have already discussed the importance of effective leadership as a fundamental necessity for successful execution of any organizational mission. When that leadership is ineffective, as it was 43 in the case of the management associated with the processing of applications for tax exempt status, then changes need to be made. The actions we have taken in this regard further emphasize the importance we put on having effective leaders in place as essential for successful outcomes in performance. The various business units of the IRS are led by highly experienced and talented leaders, many of whom have spent 20 or more years dedicated to fulfilling the mission of the IRS. In fact, one of our primary risks is that many of our most valuable leaders are eligible for retirement. We also have several talented leaders in place in newly assigned positions, but they are only in Acting status, and thus we require long-term solutions for these positions. Re-establishing stability at all levels of leadership within of the organization is a top priority as we lead the IRS and its workforce beyond the current set of challenges. We also recognize that these have been difficult times for our overall workforce, more than 99% of whom had nothing to do with the actions related to the processing of applications for tax exempt status. The IRS workforce, which is also undergoing furloughs, has also had to absorb additional work as new legal and regulatory requirements continue to be assigned to the IRS, often without additional resources, and during a period in which a hiring freeze has limited the ability to bring in additional staff to support the additional workload. Our entire leadership team must actively engage with our staffs during these difficult times, providing them the support they need to effectively fulfill their duties. We also see this point in time as a "back-to-basics" opportunity to remind our employees why we are here and what our fundamental role is, as well as the core elements of our Mission Statement, our values, and our overall responsibilities. To this end, we are preparing to design and deliver universal, mandatory training on many of these core principles. When employees join the IRS, they must go through an on-boarding process that emphasizes the critical responsibilities we have on behalf of the public, and the ethics to which we must adhere each and every day. We also learn upon entry about a number of key elements of internal controls and our collective responsibility to adhere to these systemic and behavioral guidelines that minimize the risk of inappropriate behavior from occurring. We further communicate the basics about what to do when inappropriate behavior is observed and how to address issues before they expand into highly impactful situations. This includes elevating issues to the appropriate levels of management and to the National Taxpayer Advocate when solutions are not forthcoming in a timely fashion. It is these elements that keep us on the right path, especially when confronted with challenging situations for which competing perspectives may make decision-making difficult. Adherence to these values, principles, and behaviors is evident throughout the IRS, embedded in the daily actions of the vast majority of our workforce. However, it is appropriate to be routinely reminded of the core values on which decisions must be made, and the institutional aids and protections that are available to assist when confronted with the issues and concerns we face today. 44 The training we are preparing will be a combination of these elements, representing a conscious attempt to remind our workforce of these responsibilities and specific guidelines on how best to achieve them on a daily basis. We will begin with instructor-led training for all of our executives and front-line managers, and then transition to online training that will be required for our entire workforce. We have established the following timeline for the creation and delivery of this critical set of training: ? ? ? ? Creation of instructor-led training material: August 31, 2013 Delivery of instructor-led training (regionally and/or via video) to senior executives and managers: September 30, 2013 Adaptation of training material for online utilization: September 30, 2013 Completion of online training by entire IRS workforce: December 31, 2013 For much of the IRS population, this training will primarily represent reminders for behaviors that they already exhibit on a daily basis. Nevertheless, we believe they are important reminders to ensure we remain grounded in these principles and continue to adhere to them on a consistent basis throughout the entire IRS community. Mission Complexity As mentioned in Section 2 of this Report, the IRS does not make the nation's tax laws. Rather, we administer and enforce them. However, a review of IRS mission execution must entail some review of IRS mission complexity. A few facts from the 2012 Annual Report to Congress from the National Taxpayer Advocate10 are helpful in framing this discussion: ? ? ? ? "A search of the [Internal Revenue] Code conducted using the 'word count' feature in Microsoft Word turned up nearly four million words. Individual taxpayers find return preparation so overwhelming that about 59% now pay preparers to do it for them. Among unincorporated business taxpayers, the figure rises to about 71%. According to a TAS analysis of IRS data, individuals and businesses spend about 6.1 billion hours a year complying with the filing requirements of the Internal Revenue Code. And that figure does not include the millions of additional hours that taxpayers must spend when they are required to respond to IRS notices or audits. Despite the fact that about 90% of individual taxpayers rely on preparers or tax software packages, the IRS received more than 115 million calls in each of the last two fiscal years." 10 The data in this section can be found in: National Taxpayer Advocate, 2012 Annual Report to Congress (Volume One). December 31, 2012. 45 The data point that may be the most relevant to this question of the ongoing challenge facing the IRS in terms of its ability to execute its mission is that, according to this same report from December 2012 by the National Taxpayer Advocate, "there have been approximately 4,680 changes to the tax code since 2001, an average of more than one a day." The IRS has a long history of successfully meeting these challenges. For example, substantial tax law changes were enacted as late as January 2, 2013, just before the IRS would normally begin accepting e-filed returns. IRS staff worked quickly and diligently to make the changes to systems and forms necessary to open what turned out to be another successful tax filing season. Similar examples of rapid adjustment to emerging requirements can be found throughout the history of the IRS, and we will continue to always strive to respond to new requirements in an efficient and effective manner. Nevertheless, a review of the overall challenges faced by the IRS with respect to mission execution must recognize that this constant change in the tax code makes its administration more difficult for the IRS and the public. This is especially true for the IRS at a time of dramatically decreased funding, reduced staff, and major new requirements that continue to add to the complexity of our mission. Better Early Warning Systems Needed All organizations face challenges. A leadership imperative is to establish the ability to quickly and accurately identify those challenges and put solutions into place long before they turn into operational issues. One of the most critical failures identified in the TIGTA audit is the timeline associated with how long issues were allowed to persist without management engagement to resolve them. It has become clear that part of these inexcusable delays resulted from inadequate mechanisms put in place to alert various levels of senior management to the presence of inappropriate criteria, the growing backlog, and the dissatisfaction by the applicants for tax exempt status. The performance measures in place failed to highlight these emerging risks, and the communication flow up and down the chain of command from staff to senior management failed to effectively convey these circumstances. To address these failures, and enhance protocols that already exist in other units across the IRS, we are initiating a number of actions to establish a risk-based "early warning system" that will focus on many of the potential risks discussed in this section of this Report. There are three specific elements that will comprise these current efforts: ? ? ? Establishing a robust Enterprise Risk Management Program; Strengthening the IRS-wide Performance Management System; and Enhancing communication flow to all layers of management, up to and including the IRS Commissioner's office. 46 Establishing a Robust Enterprise Risk Management Program Large and complex organizations such as the IRS are always under threat of risks - large and small, strategic and tactical - presenting the potential to dramatically affect performance in both mission delivery and operational support. The recent failures that occurred with respect to applications for tax exempt status highlight the need to evaluate how risks are identified, prioritized, evaluated, and mitigated across the IRS enterprise. A robust Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Program is being established that will: ? ? ? ? ? ? Provide clear lines of sight into key risks and related controls; Determine what risk areas could negatively affect the IRS's ability to carry out our mission; Identify resources, processes, policies, and procedures needed to proactively manage risk; Create awareness and leverage any existing risk management infrastructure in the operating units; Provide a coordinated and common framework for capturing and reporting risk information; and Share risk mitigation practices across the IRS. We will establish a risk office, governance structure, policies, procedures, tools, and training needed to carry out the ERM program. Our ERM program will be led by the Chief Risk Officer, a position established in late May 2013 as one of the first acts of the new Principal Deputy Commissioner of the IRS. This new position is strategically placed at the top of the organization to assist the Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioners in identifying and mitigating risks before they evolve into significant issues, as well as providing transparency to these risks to our oversight stakeholders such as the IRS Oversight Board and our authorizing committees in Congress. The Chief Risk Officer will also be a central player in addressing some of the key risks that emerged from the TIGTA report and that have potential implications across the entire IRS. To fill this role, we have appointed David Fisher, who will also serve as a Senior Advisor to the Commissioner. Mr. Fisher formerly served as the Chief Administrative Officer / Chief Financial Officer at the Government Accountability Office, responsible for all internal operations at the nonpartisan Congressional watchdog. The goal of the ERM program is not to achieve zero risks. Rather, the objective is to have a program in place that can properly identify and assess risks, and provide senior management the information necessary to make sound decisions, with risk being one of the core elements of the decision-making framework. Our new Chief Risk Officer has already begun evaluating many of the elements of risk management currently in place throughout the IRS. He will be synthesizing 47 that information with best practices utilized at other organizations of similar size and complexity to formally establish a robust Enterprise Risk Management program at the IRS. Finally, it is important to note that risk management cannot be an isolated function. It requires a seat at the table with the most senior executives in the organization, where enterprise-level risks can be identified, assigned for action, and monitored for success or further mitigation. The IRS Chief Risk Officer will be responsible for implementing such a program, but will do so in collaboration with the business owners in order to yield the kind of results that will bring transparency to critical organizational risks and provide the opportunity to mitigate them long before they have negative impacts on the IRS. Strengthening the IRS-wide Performance Management System The foundations for an effective performance management system are establishing the right metrics, at the right time, in the hands of the right people. It is apparent that the IRS maintains a robust set of measures that track performance at many levels of the organization. It is also clear that there is room for improvement. For example, despite all of these metrics, early warning signs were not sufficient to enable IRS management and senior leadership, including the IRS Commissioner's Office, to detect the inappropriate criteria and growing backlog associated with the processing of applications for tax exempt status for an extended period of time. The fundamental purpose of a performance management system is to provide management with insight into deviations from expected and planned performance. When performance exceeds plan, it is an opportunity to understand and share good practices. When performance is below plan, it should provide alerts for prompt corrective actions before unacceptable levels of activity are allowed to persist. In particular, the use of leading indicators that can inform an organization of potential problems before performance is impacted. Moreover, the selection of the right metrics is far more important that the sheer volume of measures that may be tracked. In fact, greater quantity of measures can sometimes overwhelm the system, thereby inhibiting proper risk analysis when buried in too many numbers and graphs. Some potential metrics that could have been helpful in this particular case, include: ? Comprehensive aging of inventory backlog of applications received yet not resolved o The EO unit did track aged inventory, as do most IRS organizations, but not at a level of detail that would provide sufficient insight into the rapidly evolving nature of the growing backlog of 501(c)(4) applications; 48 ? ? Frequency with which senior managers review work product and criteria established for evaluation purposes, with a particular focus on those work products that represent the greatest risks to the IRS; and Number of Congressional inquiries on a particular topic. o While this is clearly a lagging indicator, it is another mechanism in which to draw attention to significant risks for senior management. Getting performance information into the right hands is also critical. The current performance measurement system is designed for the IRS Commissioner to receive formal performance briefings only from the offices that report directly to the Commissioner's Office. This includes offices such as Appeals, the Office of Research, Analysis and Statistics, and the Taxpayer Advocate. By contrast, the key tax administration business units (Wage and Investment, Small Business / Self-Employed, Large Business and International, and Tax Exempt / Government Entities) conduct their performance reviews with the Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement, while the Chief Officers do the same with the Deputy Commissioner for Operations Support. These reviews are currently conducted on a quarterly basis. While the reviews have consistently generated positive outcomes, our current circumstances require adjustments to these practices, with reviews to be performed on a more frequent basis and with more direct involvement by the Commissioner. To strengthen our performance management system, the new IRS Chief of Staff, in conjunction with the IRS Deputy Commissioners and our new Chief Risk Officer, will perform a comprehensive review of the performance measures in place today at the IRS. This process will be done in two phases. We will immediately begin monthly performance reviews for the IRS Commissioner with the four tax administration units, with a program that streamlines the quarterly process currently in place. For the longer term, we have directed that this review be focused on risk-oriented indicators, and if gaps are found with our current measures in this regard, they are to further evaluate the means by which new measures can be established that will provide more timely and useful insight into these important risk areas. We expect this review to be concluded by the end of the fiscal year, and to include recommendations on how to adjust our performance measurement system under the guise of a risk-based early warning system, thereby providing senior management with the visibility to emerging systemic risks long before they materialize on a widespread basis. Enhancing Communication Flow to All Layers of Management As indicated in this Report, the timeline in the TIGTA report indicates extensive delays in processing and inappropriate treatment of taxpayers applying for tax exempt status, apparently with no or limited knowledge by senior management. This lack of awareness was not only a failure to communicate from the bottom-up, but also a failure on behalf of senior management to 49 remain aware of what was going on in their units of responsibility. Managers are there to manage and solve problems, yet they cannot do so without knowledge of the situation, highlighting an imperative for effective communication that must exist at all levels of the organization. We must understand the nature of impediments to effective communication flow at the IRS, and mitigate the risks that ensue by implementing solutions for improvement in this regard. Our ability to effectively manage the IRS and maintain the commitments in our Mission Statement will be strongly influenced by our ability to overcome the barriers to effective communication and issue escalation within the management ranks of the IRS. One of the cultural aspects of the IRS, like many large institutions, is that individual business units are motivated to solve their own problems. While this can often lead to positive results, many IRS business units have historically been reluctant to elevate issues, at least in part, out of concerns of being perceived as somehow failing to fulfill their duties. This is a cultural element that needs to change. Front-line staff members and management must be comfortable elevating issues without concern of negative repercussions. Training is needed for both staff and management to overcome this cultural barrier to effective communication. The new IRS Chief of Staff will work with the IRS Senior Executive Team to understand the nature of this challenge and provide recommendations to the IRS Commissioner's Office on how to change this pattern of behavior. Our risk-based approach to performance measures described above will also play a role in our improved effectiveness in communication throughout the organization. As we select these riskbased measures, they will assist in helping the IRS management team to become more accustomed to the kinds of risks that require escalation and collaboration. Transparency and frequency of results from these strategically identified risk-based measures will provide a platform to engage in mutual recognition of evolving risks for front-line managers, senior executives, and the oversight community with which we will share these results. Effective communication amongst and between these responsible parties must be a part of any solution to improve the IRS's ability to quickly and effectively address issues before they materialize on a grand scale. Major issues, such as the ones experienced with applications for tax exempt status, cannot be allowed to persist without knowledge of and the opportunity for intervention by senior management. This is a risk area for the IRS that requires immediate attention and long-term solutions, with a clear focus on transparency and a willingness to communicate up and down the management chain. Transparency with Critical Oversight Organizations External stakeholder organizations provide the IRS with an invaluable function of guiding us to the right outcomes and approaches in fulfilling our mission. Therefore, our improvement plans 50 must include greater input and involvement of our oversight organizations, beginning with Congress. One of our failures in relation to the application process for tax exempt status was not only that the IRS did not properly inform Congress about the issues as they were occurring, but that we failed to do so even after Congressional committees specifically began asking questions on the topic. As we develop early warning systems, enhance communication, and establish additional policies and reviews, it will be our commitment to inform our authorizing committees in Congress about our plans and results. We further commit to inform these committees when we identify significant deviations in performance or expectations. Finally, it will be our commitment to collaborate with these committees on solutions to problems, sharing ideas and listening to suggestions, and not trying to problem-solve in isolation but rather embracing a more open exchange of ideas. Another external entity that can provide similar oversight and insight across this spectrum of challenges is the IRS Oversight Board. The Board was created by the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, which was enacted to improve the IRS so that it may better serve the public and meet the needs of taxpayers. The Oversight Board is a nine-member independent body charged with overseeing the IRS in its administration, management, conduct, direction, and supervision of the execution and application of the internal revenue laws and to provide experience, independence, and stability to the IRS so that it may move forward in a cogent, focused direction. The Board has informed the IRS Commissioner's Office that it recently established a Risk Committee, to focus and enhance the oversight that it provides. The Risk Committee charter is under development, with an emerging expectation that it will focus on monitoring a number of risk categories, such as some of the following: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Fair and impartial treatment to all taxpayers; Timely, accurate, and professional customer service to taxpayers; Taxpayer information is safe from inappropriate disclosure; The Service manages its costs in a manner that optimizes taxpayer resources; Major initiatives are effectively managed and executed to achieve expected results; The Service has the appropriate human resources in place to sufficiently meet the needs of fulfilling the IRS mission; and The effective enforcement of the U.S. tax laws and regulations. The establishment of this committee fits with our vision of elevating the management of risks across the IRS through a new Enterprise Risk Management program. Moreover, these risk categories are consistent with many of the findings and needs identified in this Report. We look forward to close collaboration with this committee, and the Oversight Board in general, as we 51 fulfill our responsibilities to ensure that the IRS is operating in an efficient and effective manner that yields positive results. To sum up this initial review, it is clear that the IRS is a large, complex, and essential enterprise, responsible for a critically important mission on behalf of the public. But with that scale and complexity comes inherent challenges. Our new leadership team is focusing on these challenges and on aligning our resources to address them with greater openness and transparency, enhanced internal communication, and greater engagement with our external oversight bodies. We anticipate that many of these actions will validate that existing processes are effective and provide confidence for robust mission execution. Where opportunities for improvement are identified, we will have enhanced processes in place to execute those improvements. These actions are designed to sustain the trust with the American people and to allow us to fulfill our critically important mission. 52 Concluding Thoughts This Report represents an initial review and action plan. We had a series of failures in the process for review of tax exempt applications, and we are moving quickly to address them. We have made a number of changes already, more are in the works, and more will develop as we learn additional information. We are also moving aggressively to identify any other risks that might exist throughout the IRS, and we are putting procedures into place to bring them to light sooner, with a commitment to transparency to share what we find with all relevant stakeholders, including the oversight community. Our external outreach efforts will continue as we look to implement the aggressive program that has been put forth in this Report. These are our ideas and plans, but we are now looking for feedback. We have identified specific actions we are taking in this Report, but we also raise questions. Those questions deserve further dialogue amongst key external stakeholders and the public, and we will be listening for input. The IRS is committed to correcting its mistakes, holding people accountable, and establishing control elements that will help us mitigate the risks we face. The people of the IRS are committed to the principles of our Mission Statement, which calls for us to operate with integrity and fairness to all. We serve a vital purpose for this country, and we need to earn and maintain the trust of the public in order to accomplish that mission. We are firmly moving in that direction, and we will continue to report on our progress on a regular basis as we fulfill our commitments. 53 Appendix A: The "Douglas Factors" Appendix A The "Douglas Factors" (1) The nature and seriousness of the offense, and its relation to the employee's duties, position, and responsibilities, including whether the offense was intentional or technical or inadvertent, or was committed maliciously or for gain, or was frequently repeated; (2) The employee's job level and type of employment, including supervisory or fiduciary role, contacts with the public, and prominence of the position; (3) The employee's past disciplinary record; (4) The employee's past work record, including length of service, performance on the job, ability to get along with fellow workers, and dependability; (5) The effect of the offense upon the employee's ability to perform at a satisfactory level and its effect upon supervisors' confidence in the employee's work ability to perform assigned duties; (6) Consistency of the penalty with those imposed upon other employees for the same or similar offenses; (7) Consistency of the penalty with any applicable agency table of penalties; (8) The notoriety of the offense or its impact upon the reputation of the agency; (9) The clarity with which the employee was on notice of any rules that were violated in committing the offense, or had been warned about the conduct in question; (10) The potential for the employee's rehabilitation; (11) Mitigating circumstances surrounding the offense such as unusual job tensions, personality problems, mental impairment, harassment, or bad faith, malice or provocation on the part of others involved in the matter; and (12) The adequacy and effectiveness of alternative sanctions to deter such conduct in the future by the employee or others. 6/14/2013 4:37 PM Appendix B: "Be on the Lookout" (BOLO) Process Update Memo (Mav 17, 2012) DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY I N T E R N AL R E V E N U E S E RV I C E WAS H I N G TO N , D . C . 2 0 2 2 4 TAX EXEMPT AND GOVERNMENT ENTITIES DIVISION May 17, 2012 MEMORANDUM FOR MANAGER, EO DETERMINATIONS FROM: SUBJECT: Holly Paz /s/ Holly Paz Director, EO Rulings and Agreements Be On the Look Out (BOLO) Spreadsheet The purpose of this memorandum is to set forth the procedures to be used with regard to the Be On the Look Out (BOLO) spreadsheet. Abusive Transactions and Fraud Issues, Emerging Issues, and Coordinated Processing1 cases will all be tracked on a single combined Be On the Look Out (BOLO) spreadsheet. (a) The spreadsheet is maintained to enable EO Determinations specialists to be informed about the current status of abusive transactions and fraud issues, emerging issues, coordination, and watch issues, and to process cases in a consistent manner. (b) Abusive Transactions and Fraud Issues, Emerging Issues, and Coordinated Processing will each occupy a separate tab of the spreadsheet. (c) A fourth tab, the "Watch List" will list recent developments such as changes in the law, current events, or specific issues that EO Determinations management believes has the potential to impact the filing of applications. The Emerging Issues coordinator will maintain the combined spreadsheet including: (a) Creating original entries for new emerging issues and entering them on the appropriate tab of the spreadsheet. (b) Creating original entries for new coordinated processing cases and entering them on the appropriate tab of the spreadsheet. (c) Receiving issue updates from the abusive transaction and fraud group and entering them on the appropriate tab of the spreadsheet. 1 Coordinated Processing cases are cases that present similar issues and thus are to be handled by a single team or group in order to facilitate consistency. 2 (d) Receiving "Watch List" updates from senior management and entering them on the appropriate tab of the spreadsheet. (e) Updating the spreadsheet as necessary. All original entries and updates to the BOLO must be approved by the group manager of the Emerging Issues Coordinator. The group manager of the Emerging Issues Coordinator must obtain the approval of the Manager, EO Determinations to all original entries and updates to the BOLO. The Manager, EO Determinations must obtain the approval of the Director, EO Rulings & Agreements to all original entries and updates to the BOLO. Only after the approval of the group manager of the Emerging Issues Coordinator, the Manager, EO Determinations and Director, EO Rulings & Agreements have been obtained will EO Determinations groups be notified of new or updated Watch List items, Potential Abusive Transaction and Fraud Issues, Emerging Issues, and Coordinated Processing cases through single e-mail alerts. The Emerging Issues coordinator is responsible for issuing all e-mail alerts after all of the required approvals have been obtained. The most recent updated copy of the spreadsheet will be posted on the EO Determinations shared drive folder. The content of this memorandum will be incorporated in IRM 7.20.4. Appendix C: Memo Suspending use of BOLO Lists (June 20, 2013) DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY I N T E R N AL R E V E N U E S E RV I C E WA S H I N G TO N , D . C . 2 0 2 2 4 TAX EXEMPT AND GOVERNMENT ENTITIES DIVISION June 20, 2013 Control No: TEGE-07-0613-06 MEMORANDUM FOR MANAGER, EO DETERMINATIONS FROM: SUBJECT: Karen Schiller Acting Director, EO Rulings and Agreements Interim Guidance on the Suspension of BOLO List Usage Effective immediately, the use of watch lists to identify cases or issues requiring heightened awareness is suspended until further notice, with the exception of categories or cases required to be identified by Criminal Investigations, Appeals, or other functional divisions for the purposes of preventing waste, fraud and abuse. This includes the Be on the Lookout (BOLO) list and the TAG (Touch and Go) monthly alerts as defined in IRM 7.20.6.3. These lists were used to identify potential issues or cases that required heightened or coordinated efforts. They involved cases with potential terrorist connections, abusive transactions, fraud issues, emerging issues, coordinated processing 1 and watch-out cases to allow for more consistent treatment of similarly situated taxpayers. EO Rulings and Agreements is undertaking a comprehensive review of screening and identification of critical issues. We intend to develop proper procedures and uses for these types of documents. Until a more formal process for identification, approval and distribution of this type of data is established, Rulings and Agreements will not use this technique to elevate issues. All efforts will be made to provide a balance between ensuring taxpayer privacy and safeguards and ensuring consistent treatment in cases involving complex or sensitive issues. Specialists should follow the instructions in IRM 7.20.1.4 regarding cases requiring transfer to EO Technical, as well as IRM 7.20.5.4 regarding cases requiring mandatory review prior to closing. All EO Determinations Specialists and Screeners will continue to check the names of organizations and individuals referenced in the case against the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) list. If the specialist identifies an emerging issue or one that might require special handling, he or she should discuss the case with his or her manager, who in turn will elevate the issue. 1 Coordinated processing cases are ones that present similar issues and thus are to be handled by a single team or group in order to facilitate consistency. Appendix D: Revenue Rulings 2004-06 and 2007-41 BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, DEPARTMENT STORE INVENTORY PRICE INDEXES BY DEPARTMENT GROUPS (January 1941 = 100, unless otherwise noted) Percent Change from Nov. 2002 to Nov. 2003? Nov. 2002 Nov. 2003 Piece Goods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Domestics and Draperies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Women's and Children's Shoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Men's Shoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Infants' Wear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Women's Underwear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Women's Hosiery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Women's and Girls' Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Women's Outerwear and Girls' Wear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Men's Clothing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Men's Furnishings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boys' Clothing and Furnishings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jewelry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Notions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Toilet Articles and Drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Furniture and Bedding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Floor Coverings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Housewares. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Major Appliances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Radio and Television. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recreation and Education2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Home Improvements2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Automotive Accessories2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473.3 571.3 652.4 899.2 622.7 551.8 345.3 559.1 373.5 572.1 603.6 461.3 871.7 793.1 972.5 622.2 600.6 738.6 221.6 47.5 84.6 125.2 111.7 480.5 548.6 649.8 845.3 598.3 514.2 343.3 555.8 375.7 549.5 598.3 451.0 866.8 797.2 976.2 612.9 594.5 712.6 210.0 44.3 82.2 124.9 112.0 1.5 -4.0 -0.4 -6.0 -3.9 -6.8 -0.6 -0.6 0.6 -4.0 -0.9 -2.2 -0.6 0.5 0.4 -1.5 -1.0 -3.5 -5.2 -6.7 -2.8 -0.2 0.3 Groups 1-15: Soft Goods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Groups 16-20: Durable Goods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Groups 21-23: Misc. Goods2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575.9 404.5 95.4 567.7 388.9 93.9 -1.4 -3.9 -1.6 Store Total3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513.0 503.1 -1.9 Groups 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 1 Absence of a minus sign before the percentage change in this column signifies a price increase. Indexes on a January 1986 = 100 base. 3 The store total index covers all departments, including some not listed separately, except for the following: candy, food, liquor, tobacco and contract departments. 2 DRAFTING INFORMATION The principal author of this revenue ruling is Michael Burkom of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Income Tax and Accounting). For further information regarding this revenue ruling, contact Mr. Burkom at (202) 622-7924 (not a toll-free call). Section 527.--Political Organizations 26 CFR 1.527-2: Definitions. (Also ? 501.) Public advocacy; public policy issues. This ruling concerns certain public advocacy activities conducted by social welfare organizations, unions and trade associations. The guidance clarifies the tax implications of advocacy that meets the definition of political campaign activity. Rev. Rul. 2004-6 tions described in ? 501(c)(4), ? 501(c)(5), or ? 501(c)(6) may, consistent with their exempt purpose, publicly advocate posi- tions on public policy issues. This advo- cacy may include lobbying for legislation consistent with these positions. Because public policy advocacy may involve discussion of the positions of public officials who are also candidates for public office, a public policy advocacy communication may constitute an exempt function within the meaning of ? 527(e)(2). If so, the or- ganization would be subject to tax under ? 527(f). Organizations that are exempt from fed- eral income tax under ? 501(a) as organiza- January 26, 2004 328 2004-4 I.R.B. ISSUE In each of the six situations described below, has the organization exempt from federal income tax under ? 501(a) as an organization described in ? 501(c)(4), ? 501(c)(5), or ? 501(c)(6) that engages in public policy advocacy expended funds for an exempt function as described in ? 527(e)(2)? LAW Section 501(c)(4) provides exemption from taxation for civic leagues or organi- zations not organized for profit, but oper- ated exclusively for the promotion of so- cial welfare. Section 1.501(c)(4)-1 of the Income Tax Regulations states an organization is operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare if it is primarily engaged in promoting in some way the common good and general welfare of the people of the community. Section 501(c)(5) provides exemption from taxation for labor, agricultural, or horticultural organizations. Section 1.501(c)(5)-1 requires that la- bor, agricultural, or horticultural organiza- tions have as their objects the betterment of the conditions of those engaged in such pursuits, the improvement of the grade of their products, and the development of a higher degree of efficiency in their respec- tive occupations. Section 501(c)(6) provides exemption from taxation for business leagues, not or- ganized for profit and no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. Section 1.501(c)(6)-1 provides that a business league is an association of per- sons having some common business inter- est, the purpose of which is to promote such common interest and not to engage in a regular business of a kind ordinarily car- ried on for profit. A business league's ac- tivities should be directed to the improve- ment of business conditions of one or more lines of business as distinguished from the performance of particular services for in- dividual persons. Section 527 generally provides that po- litical organizations that collect and ex- pend monies for exempt function purposes as described in ? 527(e)(2) are exempt 2004-4 I.R.B. from Federal income tax except on their in- vestment income. Section 527(e)(1) defines a political or- ganization as a party, committee, associa- tion, fund or other organization (whether or not incorporated), organized and oper- ated primarily for the purpose of accept- ing contributions or making expenditures, or both, for an exempt function. Section 527(e)(2) provides that the term "exempt function" for purposes of ? 527 means the function of influencing or at- tempting to influence the selection, nom- ination, election, or appointment of any individual to any Federal, State, or local public office or office in a political organ- ization, or the election of Presidential or Vice-Presidential electors, whether or not such individual or electors are selected, nominated, elected, or appointed. By its terms, ? 527(e)(2) includes all attempts to influence the selection, nomination, elec- tion, or appointment of the described offi- cials. Section 527(f)(1) provides that an or- ganization described in ? 501(c) and ex- empt from tax under ? 501(a) is subject to tax on any amount expended for an ex- empt function described in ? 527(e)(2) at the highest tax rate specified in ? 11(b). The tax is imposed on the lesser of the net investment income of the organization for the taxable year or the amount expended on an exempt function during the taxable year. A ? 501(c) organization is taxed un- der ? 527(f)(1) only if the expenditure is from its general treasury rather than from a separate segregated fund described in ? 527(f)(3). Section 527(f)(3) provides that if an or- ganization described in ? 501(c) and ex- empt from tax under ? 501(a) sets up a sep- arate segregated fund (which segregates monies for ? 527(e)(2) exempt function purposes) that fund will be treated as a separate political organization described in ? 527 and, therefore, be subject to tax as a political organization under ? 527. Section 527(i) provides that, in order to be tax-exempt, a political organization is required to give notice that it is a polit- ical organization described in ? 527, un- less excepted. An organization described in ? 501(c) that does not set up a sepa- rate segregated fund, but makes exempt function expenditures subject to tax under ? 527(f) is not subject to this requirement. ? 527(i)(5)(A). 329 Section 527(j) provides that, unless ex- cepted, a tax-exempt political organiza- tion that has given notice under ? 527(i) and does not timely make periodic reports of contributions and expenditures, or that fails to include the information required, must pay an amount calculated by mul- tiplying the amount of contributions and expenditures that are not disclosed by the highest corporate tax rate. An organization described in ? 501(c) that does not set up a separate segregated fund, but makes ex- empt function expenditures subject to tax under ? 527(f), is not subject to the report- ing requirements under ? 527(j). Section 1.527-2(c)(1) provides that the term "exempt function" includes all activ- ities that are directly related to and support the process of influencing or attempting to influence the selection, nomination, elec- tion, or appointment of any individual to public office or office in a political organ- ization. Whether an expenditure is for an exempt function depends on all the facts and circumstances. Section 1.527-6(f) provides that an or- ganization described in ? 501(c) that is ex- empt under ? 501(a) may, if it is consistent with its exempt status, establish and main- tain a separate segregated fund to receive contributions and make expenditures in a political campaign. Rev. Rul. 2003-49, 2003-20 I.R.B. 903 (May 19, 2003), discusses the re- porting and disclosure requirements for political organizations in question and answer format. In Q&A-6, the ruling holds that while a ? 501(c) organization that makes an expenditure for an exempt function under ? 527(e)(2) is not required to file the notice required under ? 527(i), if the ? 501(c) organization establishes a sep- arate segregated fund under ? 527(f)(3), that fund is required to file the notice in order to be tax-exempt unless it meets one of the other exceptions to filing. Certain broadcast, cable, or satellite communications that meet the definition of "electioneering communications" are regulated by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), 116 Stat. 81. An exempt organization that violates the regulatory requirements of BCRA may well jeopardize its exemption or be subject to other tax consequences. January 26, 2004 ANALYSIS OF FACTUAL SITUATIONS An organization exempt from federal income tax under ? 501(a) as an organi- zation described in ? 501(c) that, consis- tent with its tax-exempt status, wishes to engage in an exempt function within the meaning of ? 527(e)(2) may do so with its own funds or by setting up a separate segregated fund under ? 527(f)(3). If the organization chooses to establish a sepa- rate segregated fund, that fund, unless ex- cepted, must give notice under ? 527(i) in order to be tax-exempt. A separate seg- regated fund that has given notice under ? 527(i) is then subject to the reporting re- quirements under ? 527(j). See Rev. Rul. 2003-49. If the organization chooses to use its own funds, the organization is not subject to the notice requirements under ? 527(i) and the reporting requirements un- der ? 527(j), but is subject to tax under ? 527(f)(1) on the lesser of its investment income or the amount of the exempt func- tion expenditure. All the facts and circumstances must be considered to determine whether an expen- diture for an advocacy communication re- lating to a public policy issue is for an ex- empt function under ? 527(e)(2). When an advocacy communication explicitly advo- cates the election or defeat of an individual to public office, the expenditure clearly is for an exempt function under ? 527(e)(2). However, when an advocacy communica- tion relating to a public policy issue does not explicitly advocate the election or de- feat of a candidate, all the facts and circum- stances need to be considered to determine whether the expenditure is for an exempt function under ? 527(e)(2). In facts and circumstances such as those described in the six situations, factors that tend to show that an advocacy communi- cation on a public policy issue is for an ex- empt function under ? 527(e)(2) include, but are not limited to, the following: a) The communication identifies a can- didate for public office; b) The timing of the communication co- incides with an electoral campaign; c) The communication targets voters in a particular election; d) The communication identifies that candidate's position on the public policy issue that is the subject of the communi- cation; January 26, 2004 e) The position of the candidate on the public policy issue has been raised as dis- tinguishing the candidate from others in the campaign, either in the communication itself or in other public communications; and f) The communication is not part of an ongoing series of substantially similar ad- vocacy communications by the organiza- tion on the same issue. In facts and circumstances such as those described in the six situations, factors that tend to show that an advocacy communi- cation on a public policy issue is not for an exempt function under ? 527(e)(2) include, but are not limited to, the following: a) The absence of any one or more of the factors listed in a) through f) above; b) The communication identifies spe- cific legislation, or a specific event outside the control of the organization, that the or- ganization hopes to influence; c) The timing of the communication co- incides with a specific event outside the control of the organization that the organ- ization hopes to influence, such as a leg- islative vote or other major legislative ac- tion (for example, a hearing before a leg- islative committee on the issue that is the subject of the communication); d) The communication identifies the candidate solely as a government official who is in a position to act on the public policy issue in connection with the spe- cific event (such as a legislator who is eligible to vote on the legislation); and e) The communication identifies the candidate solely in the list of key or prin- cipal sponsors of the legislation that is the subject of the communication. In all of the situations, the advocacy communication identifies a candidate in an election, appears shortly before that elec- tion, and targets the voters in that election. Even though these factors are present, the remaining facts and circumstances must be analyzed in each situation to determine whether the advocacy communication is for an exempt function under ? 527(e)(2). Each of the situations assumes that: 1. All payments for the described activ- ity are from the general treasury of the or- ganization rather than from a separate seg- regated fund under ? 527(f)(3); 2. The organization would continue to be exempt under ? 501(a), even if the described activity is not a ? 501(c) ex- empt activity, because the organization's 330 primary activities are described in the ap- propriate subparagraph of ? 501(c); and 3. All advocacy communications de- scribed also include a solicitation of con- tributions to the organization. Situation 1. N, a labor organization rec- ognized as tax exempt under ? 501(c)(5), advocates for the betterment of conditions of law enforcement personnel. Senator A and Senator B represent State U in the United States Senate. In year 200x, N prepares and finances full-page newspa- per advertisements supporting increased spending on law enforcement, which would require a legislative appropriation. These advertisements are published in sev- eral large circulation newspapers in State U on a regular basis during year 200x. One of these full-page advertisements is published shortly before an election in which Senator A (but not Senator B) is a candidate for re-election. The advertise- ment published shortly before the election stresses the importance of increased fed- eral funding of local law enforcement and refers to numerous statistics indicat- ing the high crime rate in State U. The advertisement does not mention Senator A's or Senator B's position on law en- forcement issues. The advertisement ends with the statement "Call or write Senator A and Senator B to ask them to support increased federal funding for local law enforcement." Law enforcement has not been raised as an issue distinguishing Sen- ator A from any opponent. At the time this advertisement is published, no legislative vote or other major legislative activity is scheduled in the United States Senate on increased federal funding for local law enforcement. Under the facts and circumstances in Situation 1, the advertisement is not for an exempt function under ? 527(e)(2). Al- though N's advertisement identifies Sena- tor A, appears shortly before an election in which Senator A is a candidate, and targets voters in that election, it is part of an ongo- ing series of substantially similar advocacy communications by N on the same issue during year 200x. The advertisement iden- tifies both Senator A and Senator B, who is not a candidate for re-election, as the rep- resentatives who would vote on this issue. Furthermore, N's advertisement does not identify Senator A's position on the issue, and law enforcement has not been raised as an issue distinguishing Senator A from any 2004-4 I.R.B. opponent. Therefore, there is nothing to indicate that Senator A's candidacy should be supported or opposed based on this is- sue. Based on these facts and circum- stances, the amount expended by N on the advertisement is not an exempt function expenditure under ? 527(e)(2) and, there- fore, is not subject to tax under ? 527(f)(1). Situation 2. O, a trade association rec- ognized as tax exempt under ? 501(c)(6), advocates for increased international trade. Senator C represents State V in the United States Senate. O prepares and finances a full-page newspaper advertisement that is published in several large circulation newspapers in State V shortly before an election in which Senator C is a candidate for nomination in a party primary. The advertisement states that increased inter- national trade is important to a major in- dustry in State V. The advertisement states that S. 24, a pending bill in the United States Senate, would provide manufactur- ing subsidies to certain industries to en- courage export of their products. The ad- vertisement also states that several manu- facturers in State V would benefit from the subsidies, but Senator C has opposed simi- lar measures supporting increased interna- tional trade in the past. The advertisement ends with the statement "Call or write Sen- ator C to tell him to vote for S. 24." Interna- tional trade concerns have not been raised as an issue distinguishing Senator C from any opponent. S. 24 is scheduled for a vote in the United States Senate before the elec- tion, soon after the date that the advertise- ment is published in the newspapers. Under the facts and circumstances in Situation 2, the advertisement is not for an exempt function under ? 527(e)(2). O's advertisement identifies Senator C, ap- pears shortly before an election in which Senator C is a candidate, and targets voters in that election. Although interna- tional trade issues have not been raised as an issue distinguishing Senator C from any opponent, the advertisement identi- fies Senator C's position on the issue as contrary to O's position. However, the advertisement specifically identifies the legislation O is supporting and appears immediately before the United States Sen- ate is scheduled to vote on that particular legislation. The candidate identified, Sen- ator C, is a government official who is in a position to take action on the pub- lic policy issue in connection with the 2004-4 I.R.B. specific event. Based on these facts and circumstances, the amount expended by O on the advertisement is not an exempt function expenditure under ? 527(e)(2) and, therefore, is not subject to tax under ? 527(f)(1). Situation 3. P, an entity recognized as tax exempt under ? 501(c)(4), advocates for better health care. Senator D represents State W in the United States Senate. P pre- pares and finances a full-page newspaper advertisement that is published repeatedly in several large circulation newspapers in State W beginning shortly before an elec- tion in which Senator D is a candidate for re-election. The advertisement is not part of an ongoing series of substantially simi- lar advocacy communications by P on the same issue. The advertisement states that a public hospital is needed in a major city in State W but that the public hospital can- not be built without federal assistance. The advertisement further states that Senator D has voted in the past year for two bills that would have provided the federal fund- ing necessary for the hospital. The adver- tisement then ends with the statement "Let Senator D know you agree about the need for federal funding for hospitals." Federal funding for hospitals has not been raised as an issue distinguishing Senator D from any opponent. At the time the advertise- ment is published, a bill providing federal funding for hospitals has been introduced in the United States Senate, but no legisla- tive vote or other major legislative activity on that bill is scheduled in the Senate. Under the facts and circumstances in Situation 3, the advertisement is for an ex- empt function under ? 527(e)(2). P's ad- vertisement identifies Senator D, appears shortly before an election in which Sena- tor D is a candidate, and targets voters in that election. Although federal funding of hospitals has not been raised as an issue distinguishing Senator D from any oppo- nent, the advertisement identifies Senator D's position on the hospital funding issue as agreeing with P's position, and is not part of an ongoing series of substantially similar advocacy communications by P on the same issue. Moreover, the advertise- ment does not identify any specific leg- islation and is not timed to coincide with a legislative vote or other major legisla- tive action on the hospital funding issue. Based on these facts and circumstances, the amount expended by P on the adver- 331 tisement is an exempt function expenditure under ? 527(e)(2) and, therefore, is subject to tax under ? 527(f)(1). Situation 4. R, an entity recognized as tax exempt under ? 501(c)(4), advocates for improved public education. Governor E is the governor of State X. R prepares and finances a radio advertisement urging an increase in state funding for public ed- ucation in State X, which requires a leg- islative appropriation. The radio adver- tisement is first broadcast on several radio stations in State X beginning shortly be- fore an election in which Governor E is a candidate for re-election. The advertise- ment is not part of an ongoing series of substantially similar advocacy communi- cations by R on the same issue. The adver- tisement cites numerous statistics indicat- ing that public education in State X is un- der-funded. While the advertisement does not say anything about Governor E's po- sition on funding for public education, it ends with "Tell Governor E what you think about our under-funded schools." In public appearances and campaign literature, Gov- ernor E's opponent has made funding of public education an issue in the campaign by focusing on Governor E's veto of an income tax increase the previous year to increase funding of public education. At the time the advertisement is broadcast, no legislative vote or other major legislative activity is scheduled in the State X legisla- ture on state funding of public education. Under the facts and circumstances in Situation 4, the advertisement is for an exempt function under ? 527(e)(2). R's advertisement identifies Governor E, ap- pears shortly before an election in which Governor E is a candidate, and targets voters in that election. Although the ad- vertisement does not explicitly identify Governor E's position on the funding of public schools issue, that issue has been raised as an issue in the campaign by Gov- ernor E's opponent. The advertisement does not identify any specific legisla- tion, is not part of an ongoing series of substantially similar advocacy communi- cations by R on the same issue, and is not timed to coincide with a legislative vote or other major legislative action on that issue. Based on these facts and circum- stances, the amount expended by R on the advertisement is an exempt function ex- penditure under ? 527(e)(2) and, therefore, is subject to tax under ? 527(f)(1). January 26, 2004 Situation 5. S, an entity recognized as tax exempt under ? 501(c)(4), advocates to abolish the death penalty in State Y. Governor F is the governor of State Y. S regularly prepares and finances televi- sion advertisements opposing the death penalty. These advertisements appear on several television stations in State Y shortly before each scheduled execution in State Y. One such advertisement opposing the death penalty appears on State Y televi- sion stations shortly before the scheduled execution of G and shortly before an elec- tion in which Governor F is a candidate for re-election. The advertisement broad- cast shortly before the election provides statistics regarding developed countries that have abolished the death penalty and refers to studies indicating inequities re- lated to the types of persons executed in the United States. Like the advertisements appearing shortly before other scheduled executions in State Y, the advertisement notes that Governor F has supported the death penalty in the past and ends with the statement "Call or write Governor F to de- mand that he stop the upcoming execution of G." Under the facts and circumstances in Situation 5, the advertisement is not for an exempt function under ? 527(e)(2). S's ad- vertisement identifies Governor F, appears shortly before an election in which Gover- nor F is a candidate, targets voters in that election, and identifies Governor F's posi- tion as contrary to S's position. However, the advertisement is part of an ongoing se- ries of substantially similar advocacy com- munications by S on the same issue and the advertisement identifies an event outside the control of the organization (the sched- uled execution) that the organization hopes January 26, 2004 to influence. Further, the timing of the advertisement coincides with this specific event that the organization hopes to influ- ence. The candidate identified is a govern- ment official who is in a position to take action on the public policy issue in con- nection with the specific event. Based on these facts and circumstances, the amount expended by S on the advertisements is not an exempt function expenditure under ? 527(e)(2) and, therefore, is not subject to tax under ? 527(f)(1). Situation 6. T, an entity recognized as tax exempt under ? 501(c)(4), advo- cates to abolish the death penalty in State Z. Governor H is the governor of State Z. Beginning shortly before an election in which Governor H is a candidate for re-election, T prepares and finances a tele- vision advertisement broadcast on several television stations in State Z. The adver- tisement is not part of an ongoing series of substantially similar advocacy commu- nications by T on the same issue. The advertisement provides statistics regard- ing developed countries that have abol- ished the death penalty, and refers to stud- ies indicating inequities related to the types of persons executed in the United States. The advertisement calls for the abolish- ment of the death penalty. The advertise- ment notes that Governor H has supported the death penalty in the past. The adver- tisement identifies several individuals pre- viously executed in State Z, stating that Governor H could have saved their lives by stopping their executions. No execu- tions are scheduled in State Z in the near future. The advertisement concludes with the statement "Call or write Governor H to demand a moratorium on the death penalty in State Z." 332 Under the facts and circumstances in Situation 6, the advertisement is for an exempt function under ? 527(e)(2). T's advertisement identifies Governor H, ap- pears shortly before an election in which Governor H is a candidate, targets the vot- ers in that election, and identifies Gover- nor H's position as contrary to T's posi- tion. The advertisement is not part of an ongoing series of substantially similar ad- vocacy communications by T on the same issue. In addition, the advertisement does not identify and is not timed to coincide with a specific event outside the control of the organization that it hopes to influence. Based on these facts and circumstances, the amount expended by T on the adver- tisement is an exempt function expenditure under ? 527(e)(2) and, therefore, is subject to tax under ? 527(f)(1). HOLDINGS In Situations 1, 2, and 5, the amounts expended by N, O, and S are not exempt function expenditures under ? 527(e)(2) and, therefore, are not subject to tax un- der ? 527(f)(1). In Situations 3, 4, and 6, the amounts expended by P, R and T are exempt function expenditures under ? 527(e)(2) and, therefore, are subject to tax under ? 527(f)(1). DRAFTING INFORMATION The principal author of this revenue rul- ing is Judith E. Kindell of Exempt Or- ganizations, Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division. For further informa- tion regarding this revenue ruling, contact Judith E. Kindell at (202) 283-8964 (not a toll-free call). 2004-4 I.R.B. not issued to Taxpayer by the same com- pany in the same calendar year. The result in this case would be the same if, instead of individually issued MECs, the Origi- nal Contracts and New Contracts were evi- denced by certificates that were issued un- der a group contract or master contract and that were treated as separate contracts for purposes of ?? 817(h), 7702, and 7702A. income tax under section 501(a) of the Code as an organization described in sec- tion 501(c)(3) has participated in, or inter- vened in (including the publishing or dis- tributing of statements), any political cam- paign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office. HOLDING Organizations that are exempt from in- come tax under section 501(a) of the In- ternal Revenue Code as organizations de- scribed in section 501(c)(3) may not par- ticipate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public of- fice. If a taxpayer that owns multiple modi- fied endowment contracts (MECs) issued by the same insurance company in the same calendar year exchanges some of those MECs for new MECs issued by a second insurance company, the new con- tracts are not required to be aggregated with the remaining original contracts un- der ? 72(e)(12). DRAFTING INFORMATION The principal author of this revenue rul- ing is Melissa S. Luxner of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Financial Insti- tutions & Products). For further infor- mation regarding this revenue ruling, con- tact Ms. Luxner at (202) 622-3970 (not a toll-free call). Section 430.--Minimum Funding Standards for Single-Employer Defined Benefit Pension Plans Procedures with respect to applications for re- quests for letter rulings on substitute mortality tables under section 430(h)(3)(C) of the Code and section 303(h)(3)(C) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 are set forth. See Rev. Proc. 2007-37, page 1433. Section 501.--Exemption From Tax on Corporations, Certain Trusts, etc. 26 CFR 1.501(c)(3)-1: Organizations organized and operated for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary or educational purposes, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals. Exempt organizations; political cam- paigns. This ruling provides 21 examples illustrating the application of the facts and circumstances to be considered to deter- mine whether an organization exempt from June 18, 2007 Rev. Rul. 2007-41 ISSUE In each of the 21 situations described below, has the organization participated or intervened in a political campaign on be- half of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office within the meaning of sec- tion 501(c)(3)? LAW Section 501(c)(3) provides for the ex- emption from federal income tax of organi- zations organized and operated exclusively for charitable or educational purposes, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise at- tempting to influence legislation (except as otherwise provided in section 501(h)), and which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candi- date for public office. Section 1.501(c)(3)-1(c)(3)(i) of the In- come Tax Regulations states that an organ- ization is not operated exclusively for one or more exempt purposes if it is an "action" organization. Section 1.501(c)(3)-1(c)(3)(iii) of the regulations defines an "action" organiza- tion as an organization that participates or intervenes, directly or indirectly, in any po- litical campaign on behalf of or in opposi- tion to any candidate for public office. The term "candidate for public office" is de- fined as an individual who offers himself, or is proposed by others, as a contestant for 1421 an elective public office, whether such of- fice be national, State, or local. The reg- ulations further provide that activities that constitute participation or intervention in a political campaign on behalf of or in op- position to a candidate include, but are not limited to, the publication or distribution of written statements or the making of oral statements on behalf of or in opposition to such a candidate. Whether an organization is participat- ing or intervening, directly or indirectly, in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office depends upon all of the facts and circumstances of each case. For exam- ple, certain "voter education" activities, in- cluding preparation and distribution of cer- tain voter guides, conducted in a non-par- tisan manner may not constitute prohibited political activities under section 501(c)(3) of the Code. Other so-called "voter ed- ucation" activities may be proscribed by the statute. Rev. Rul. 78-248, 1978-1 C.B. 154, contrasts several situations il- lustrating when an organization that pub- lishes a compilation of candidate positions or voting records has or has not engaged in prohibited political activities based on whether the questionnaire used to solicit candidate positions or the voters guide it- self shows a bias or preference in con- tent or structure with respect to the views of a particular candidate. See also Rev. Rul. 80-282, 1980-2 C.B. 178, amplify- ing Rev. Rul. 78-248 regarding the timing and distribution of voter education materi- als. The presentation of public forums or debates is a recognized method of edu- cating the public. See Rev. Rul. 66-256, 1966-2 C.B. 210 (nonprofit organization formed to conduct public forums at which lectures and debates on social, political, and international matters are presented qualifies for exemption from federal in- come tax under section 501(c)(3)). Pro- viding a forum for candidates is not, in and of itself, prohibited political activity. See Rev. Rul. 74-574, 1974-2 C.B. 160 (organization operating a broadcast station is not participating in political campaigns on behalf of public candidates by pro- viding reasonable amounts of air time equally available to all legally qualified candidates for election to public office in compliance with the reasonable access provisions of the Communications Act of 2007-25 I.R.B. 1934). However, a forum for candidates could be operated in a manner that would show a bias or preference for or against a particular candidate. This could be done, for example, through biased questioning procedures. On the other hand, a forum held for the purpose of educating and in- forming the voters, which provides fair and impartial treatment of candidates, and which does not promote or advance one candidate over another, would not constitute participation or intervention in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. See Rev. Rul. 86-95, 1986-2 C.B. 73 (organization that proposes to educate voters by conducting a series of public forums in congressional districts during congressional election campaigns is not participating in a political campaign on behalf of any candidate due to the neutral form and content of its proposed forums). ANALYSIS OF FACTUAL SITUATIONS The 21 factual situations appear be- low under specific subheadings relating to types of activities. In each of the factual situations, all the facts and circumstances are considered in determining whether an organization's activities result in political campaign intervention. Note that each of these situations involves only one type of activity. In the case of an organization that combines one or more types of activity, the interaction among the activities may affect the determination of whether or not the organization is engaged in political campaign intervention. Voter Education, Voter Registration and Get Out the Vote Drives Section 501(c)(3) organizations are permitted to conduct certain voter educa- tion activities (including the presentation of public forums and the publication of voter education guides) if they are car- ried out in a non-partisan manner. In addition, section 501(c)(3) organizations may encourage people to participate in the electoral process through voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, conducted in a non-partisan manner. On the other hand, voter education or registration activities conducted in a biased manner that favors (or opposes) one or more candidates is prohibited. 2007-25 I.R.B. Situation 1. B, a section 501(c)(3) or- ganization that promotes community in- volvement, sets up a booth at the state fair where citizens can register to vote. The signs and banners in and around the booth give only the name of the organization, the date of the next upcoming statewide elec- tion, and notice of the opportunity to regis- ter. No reference to any candidate or politi- cal party is made by the volunteers staffing the booth or in the materials available at the booth, other than the official voter reg- istration forms which allow registrants to select a party affiliation. B is not engaged in political campaign intervention when it operates this voter registration booth. Situation 2. C is a section 501(c)(3) or- ganization that educates the public on en- vironmental issues. Candidate G is run- ning for the state legislature and an impor- tant element of her platform is challenging the environmental policies of the incum- bent. Shortly before the election, C sets up a telephone bank to call registered voters in the district in which Candidate G is seek- ing election. In the phone conversations, C's representative tells the voter about the importance of environmental issues and asks questions about the voter's views on these issues. If the voter appears to agree with the incumbent's position, C's repre- sentative thanks the voter and ends the call. If the voter appears to agree with Candi- date G's position, C's representative re- minds the voter about the upcoming elec- tion, stresses the importance of voting in the election and offers to provide trans- portation to the polls. C is engaged in po- litical campaign intervention when it con- ducts this get-out-the-vote drive. Individual Activity by Organization Leaders The political campaign intervention prohibition is not intended to restrict free expression on political matters by leaders of organizations speaking for themselves, as individuals. Nor are leaders prohib- ited from speaking about important issues of public policy. However, for their or- ganizations to remain tax exempt under section 501(c)(3), leaders cannot make partisan comments in official organization publications or at official functions of the organization. Situation 3. President A is the Chief Executive Officer of Hospital J, a section 1422 501(c)(3) organization, and is well known in the community. With the permission of five prominent healthcare industry lead- ers, including President A, who have per- sonally endorsed Candidate T, Candidate T publishes a full page ad in the local news- paper listing the names of the five lead- ers. President A is identified in the ad as the CEO of Hospital J. The ad states, "Ti- tles and affiliations of each individual are provided for identification purposes only." The ad is paid for by Candidate T's cam- paign committee. Because the ad was not paid for by Hospital J, the ad is not oth- erwise in an official publication of Hos- pital J, and the endorsement is made by President A in a personal capacity, the ad does not constitute campaign intervention by Hospital J. Situation 4. President B is the presi- dent of University K, a section 501(c)(3) organization. University K publishes a monthly alumni newsletter that is dis- tributed to all alumni of the university. In each issue, President B has a column titled "My Views." The month before the election, President B states in the "My Views" column, "It is my personal opin- ion that Candidate U should be reelected." For that one issue, President B pays from his personal funds the portion of the cost of the newsletter attributable to the "My Views" column. Even though he paid part of the cost of the newsletter, the newsletter is an official publication of the univer- sity. Because the endorsement appeared in an official publication of University K, it constitutes campaign intervention by University K. Situation 5. Minister C is the minis- ter of Church L, a section 501(c)(3) organ- ization and Minister C is well known in the community. Three weeks before the election, he attends a press conference at Candidate V's campaign headquarters and states that Candidate V should be reelected. Minister C does not say he is speaking on behalf of Church L. His endorsement is re- ported on the front page of the local news- paper and he is identified in the article as the minister of Church L. Because Minister C did not make the endorsement at an offi- cial church function, in an official church publication or otherwise use the church's assets, and did not state that he was speak- ing as a representative of Church L, his ac- tions do not constitute campaign interven- tion by Church L. June 18, 2007 Situation 6. Chairman D is the chair- man of the Board of Directors of M, a sec- tion 501(c)(3) organization that educates the public on conservation issues. Dur- ing a regular meeting of M shortly before the election, Chairman D spoke on a num- ber of issues, including the importance of voting in the upcoming election, and con- cluded by stating, "It is important that you all do your duty in the election and vote for Candidate W." Because Chairman D's remarks indicating support for Candidate W were made during an official organiza- tion meeting, they constitute political cam- paign intervention by M. Candidate Appearances Depending on the facts and circum- stances, an organization may invite po- litical candidates to speak at its events without jeopardizing its tax-exempt sta- tus. Political candidates may be invited in their capacity as candidates, or in their individual capacity (not as a candidate). Candidates may also appear without an invitation at organization events that are open to the public. When a candidate is invited to speak at an organization event in his or her capac- ity as a political candidate, factors in de- termining whether the organization partici- pated or intervened in a political campaign include the following: o o o Whether the organization provides an equal opportunity to participate to po- litical candidates seeking the same of- fice; Whether the organization indicates any support for or opposition to the can- didate (including candidate introduc- tions and communications concerning the candidate's attendance); and Whether any political fundraising oc- curs. In determining whether candidates are given an equal opportunity to participate, the nature of the event to which each can- didate is invited will be considered, in ad- dition to the manner of presentation. For example, an organization that invites one candidate to speak at its well attended an- nual banquet, but invites the opposing can- didate to speak at a sparsely attended gen- eral meeting, will likely have violated the political campaign prohibition, even if the June 18, 2007 manner of presentation for both speakers is otherwise neutral. When an organization invites several candidates for the same office to speak at a public forum, factors in determining whether the forum results in political cam- paign intervention include the following: o o o o o Whether questions for the candidates are prepared and presented by an inde- pendent nonpartisan panel, Whether the topics discussed by the candidates cover a broad range of is- sues that the candidates would address if elected to the office sought and are of interest to the public, Whether each candidate is given an equal opportunity to present his or her view on each of the issues discussed, Whether the candidates are asked to agree or disagree with positions, agen- das, platforms or statements of the or- ganization, and Whether a moderator comments on the questions or otherwise implies approval or disapproval of the candi- dates. Situation 7. President E is the presi- dent of Society N, a historical society that is a section 501(c)(3) organization. In the month prior to the election, President E invites the three Congressional candidates for the district in which Society N is lo- cated to address the members, one each at a regular meeting held on three successive weeks. Each candidate is given an equal opportunity to address and field questions on a wide variety of topics from the mem- bers. Society N's publicity announcing the dates for each of the candidate's speeches and President E's introduction of each can- didate include no comments on their qual- ifications or any indication of a preference for any candidate. Society N's actions do not constitute political campaign interven- tion. Situation 8. The facts are the same as in Situation 7 except that there are four can- didates in the race rather than three, and one of the candidates declines the invita- tion to speak. In the publicity announc- ing the dates for each of the candidate's speeches, Society N includes a statement that the order of the speakers was deter- mined at random and the fourth candidate declined the Society's invitation to speak. President E makes the same statement in 1423 his opening remarks at each of the meet- ings where one of the candidates is speak- ing. Society N's actions do not constitute political campaign intervention. Situation 9. Minister F is the minister of Church O, a section 501(c)(3) organi- zation. The Sunday before the November election, Minister F invites Senate Candi- date X to preach to her congregation dur- ing worship services. During his remarks, Candidate X states, "I am asking not only for your votes, but for your enthusiasm and dedication, for your willingness to go the extra mile to get a very large turnout on Tuesday." Minister F invites no other can- didate to address her congregation during the Senatorial campaign. Because these activities take place during official church services, they are attributed to Church O. By selectively providing church facilities to allow Candidate X to speak in support of his campaign, Church O's actions con- stitute political campaign intervention. Candidate Appearances Where Speaking or Participating as a Non-Candidate Candidates may also appear or speak at organization events in a non-candidate capacity. For instance, a political candi- date may be a public figure who is invited to speak because he or she: (a) currently holds, or formerly held, public office; (b) is considered an expert in a non political field; or (c) is a celebrity or has led a dis- tinguished military, legal, or public service career. A candidate may choose to attend an event that is open to the public, such as a lecture, concert or worship service. The candidate's presence at an organiza- tion-sponsored event does not, by itself, cause the organization to be engaged in po- litical campaign intervention. However, if the candidate is publicly recognized by the organization, or if the candidate is invited to speak, factors in determining whether the candidate's appearance results in polit- ical campaign intervention include the fol- lowing: o o o Whether the individual is chosen to speak solely for reasons other than can- didacy for public office; Whether the individual speaks only in a non-candidate capacity; Whether either the individual or any representative of the organization 2007-25 I.R.B. o o o makes any mention of his or her can- didacy or the election; Whether any campaign activity occurs in connection with the candidate's at- tendance; Whether the organization maintains a nonpartisan atmosphere on the premises or at the event where the candidate is present; and Whether the organization clearly indi- cates the capacity in which the candi- date is appearing and does not mention the individual's political candidacy or the upcoming election in the communi- cations announcing the candidate's at- tendance at the event. Situation 10. Historical society P is a section 501(c)(3) organization. Society P is located in the state capital. President G is the president of Society P and custom- arily acknowledges the presence of any public officials present during meetings. During the state gubernatorial race, Lieu- tenant Governor Y, a candidate, attends a meeting of the historical society. Presi- dent G acknowledges the Lieutenant Gov- ernor's presence in his customary manner, saying, "We are happy to have joining us this evening Lieutenant Governor Y." Pres- ident G makes no reference in his welcome to the Lieutenant Governor's candidacy or the election. Society P has not engaged in political campaign intervention as a result of President G's actions. Situation 11. Chairman H is the chair- man of the Board of Hospital Q, a sec- tion 501(c)(3) organization. Hospital Q is building a new wing. Chairman H invites Congressman Z, the representative for the district containing Hospital Q, to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the new wing. Congressman Z is running for re- election at the time. Chairman H makes no reference in her introduction to Congress- man Z's candidacy or the election. Con- gressman Z also makes no reference to his candidacy or the election and does not do any political campaign fundraising while at Hospital Q. Hospital Q has not inter- vened in a political campaign. Situation 12. University X is a sec- tion 501(c)(3) organization. X publishes an alumni newsletter on a regular basis. In- dividual alumni are invited to send in up- dates about themselves which are printed in each edition of the newsletter. After re- ceiving an update letter from Alumnus Q, 2007-25 I.R.B. X prints the following: "Alumnus Q, class of 'XX is running for mayor of Metropo- lis." The newsletter does not contain any reference to this election or to Alumnus Q's candidacy other than this statement of fact. University X has not intervened in a political campaign. Situation 13. Mayor G attends a con- cert performed by Symphony S, a section 501(c)(3) organization, in City Park. The concert is free and open to the public. Mayor G is a candidate for reelection, and the concert takes place after the primary and before the general election. During the concert, the chairman of S's board ad- dresses the crowd and says, "I am pleased to see Mayor G here tonight. Without his support, these free concerts in City Park would not be possible. We will need his help if we want these concerts to continue next year so please support Mayor G in November as he has supported us." As a result of these remarks, Symphony S has engaged in political campaign interven- tion. Issue Advocacy vs. Political Campaign Intervention Section 501(c)(3) organizations may take positions on public policy issues, including issues that divide candidates in an election for public office. How- ever, section 501(c)(3) organizations must avoid any issue advocacy that functions as political campaign intervention. Even if a statement does not expressly tell an audience to vote for or against a specific candidate, an organization delivering the statement is at risk of violating the polit- ical campaign intervention prohibition if there is any message favoring or opposing a candidate. A statement can identify a candidate not only by stating the candi- date's name but also by other means such as showing a picture of the candidate, referring to political party affiliations, or other distinctive features of a candidate's platform or biography. All the facts and circumstances need to be considered to determine if the advocacy is political cam- paign intervention. Key factors in determining whether a communication results in political cam- paign intervention include the following: 1424 o o o o o o o Whether the statement identifies one or more candidates for a given public office; Whether the statement expresses ap- proval or disapproval for one or more candidates' positions and/or actions; Whether the statement is delivered close in time to the election; Whether the statement makes refer- ence to voting or an election; Whether the issue addressed in the communication has been raised as an issue distinguishing candidates for a given office; Whether the communication is part of an ongoing series of communications by the organization on the same issue that are made independent of the tim- ing of any election; and Whether the timing of the communi- cation and identification of the candi- date are related to a non-electoral event such as a scheduled vote on specific legislation by an officeholder who also happens to be a candidate for public of- fice. A communication is particularly at risk of political campaign intervention when it makes reference to candidates or voting in a specific upcoming election. Neverthe- less, the communication must still be con- sidered in context before arriving at any conclusions. Situation 14. University O, a section 501(c)(3) organization, prepares and fi- nances a full page newspaper advertise- ment that is published in several large cir- culation newspapers in State V shortly be- fore an election in which Senator C is a candidate for nomination in a party pri- mary. Senator C represents State V in the United States Senate. The advertise- ment states that S. 24, a pending bill in the United States Senate, would provide addi- tional opportunities for State V residents to attend college, but Senator C has op- posed similar measures in the past. The ad- vertisement ends with the statement "Call or write Senator C to tell him to vote for S. 24." Educational issues have not been raised as an issue distinguishing Senator C from any opponent. S. 24 is scheduled for a vote in the United States Senate before the election, soon after the date that the advertisement is published in the newspa- pers. Even though the advertisement ap- pears shortly before the election and iden- June 18, 2007 tifies Senator C's position on the issue as contrary to O's position, University O has not violated the political campaign inter- vention prohibition because the advertise- ment does not mention the election or the candidacy of Senator C, education issues have not been raised as distinguishing Sen- ator C from any opponent, and the tim- ing of the advertisement and the identifi- cation of Senator C are directly related to the specifically identified legislation Uni- versity O is supporting and appears imme- diately before the United States Senate is scheduled to vote on that particular legis- lation. The candidate identified, Senator C, is an officeholder who is in a position to vote on the legislation. Situation 15. Organization R, a section 501(c)(3) organization that educates the public about the need for improved public education, prepares and finances a radio advertisement urging an increase in state funding for public education in State X, which requires a legislative appropriation. Governor E is the governor of State X. The radio advertisement is first broadcast on several radio stations in State X beginning shortly before an election in which Gov- ernor E is a candidate for re-election. The advertisement is not part of an ongoing series of substantially similar advocacy communications by Organization R on the same issue. The advertisement cites numerous statistics indicating that pub- lic education in State X is under funded. While the advertisement does not say anything about Governor E's position on funding for public education, it ends with "Tell Governor E what you think about our under-funded schools." In public appear- ances and campaign literature, Governor E's opponent has made funding of pub- lic education an issue in the campaign by focusing on Governor E's veto of an income tax increase the previous year to increase funding of public education. At the time the advertisement is broadcast, no legislative vote or other major legisla- tive activity is scheduled in the State X legislature on state funding of public ed- ucation. Organization R has violated the political campaign prohibition because the advertisement identifies Governor E, ap- pears shortly before an election in which Governor E is a candidate, is not part of an ongoing series of substantially similar advocacy communications by Organiza- tion R on the same issue, is not timed to June 18, 2007 coincide with a non election event such as a legislative vote or other major legislative action on that issue, and takes a position on an issue that the opponent has used to distinguish himself from Governor E. Situation 16. Candidate A and Candi- date B are candidates for the state senate in District W of State X. The issue of State X funding for a new mass transit project in District W is a prominent issue in the cam- paign. Both candidates have spoken out on the issue. Candidate A supports funding the new mass transit project. Candidate B opposes the project and supports State X funding for highway improvements in- stead. P is the executive director of C, a section 501(c)(3) organization that pro- motes community development in District W. At C's annual fundraising dinner in District W, which takes place in the month before the election in State X, P gives a lengthy speech about community develop- ment issues including the transportation is- sues. P does not mention the name of any candidate or any political party. However, at the conclusion of the speech, P makes the following statement, "For those of you who care about quality of life in District W and the growing traffic congestion, there is a very important choice coming up next month. We need new mass transit. More highway funding will not make a differ- ence. You have the power to relieve the congestion and improve your quality of life in District W. Use that power when you go to the polls and cast your vote in the election for your state senator." C has violated the political campaign interven- tion as a result of P's remarks at C's offi- cial function shortly before the election, in which P referred to the upcoming election after stating a position on an issue that is a prominent issue in a campaign that distin- guishes the candidates. Business Activity The question of whether an activity constitutes participation or intervention in a political campaign may also arise in the context of a business activity of the organization, such as selling or renting of mailing lists, the leasing of office space, or the acceptance of paid political advertis- ing. In this context, some of the factors to be considered in determining whether the organization has engaged in political cam- paign intervention include the following: 1425 o o o o Whether the good, service or facility is available to candidates in the same election on an equal basis, Whether the good, service, or facility is available only to candidates and not to the general public, Whether the fees charged to candidates are at the organization's customary and usual rates, and Whether the activity is an ongoing ac- tivity of the organization or whether it is conducted only for a particular can- didate. Situation 17. Museum K is a section 501(c)(3) organization. It owns an historic building that has a large hall suitable for hosting dinners and receptions. For sev- eral years, Museum K has made the hall available for rent to members of the pub- lic. Standard fees are set for renting the hall based on the number of people in at- tendance, and a number of different orga- nizations have rented the hall. Museum K rents the hall on a first come, first served basis. Candidate P rents Museum K's so- cial hall for a fundraising dinner. Candi- date P's campaign pays the standard fee for the dinner. Museum K is not involved in political campaign intervention as a re- sult of renting the hall to Candidate P for use as the site of a campaign fundraising dinner. Situation 18. Theater L is a section 501(c)(3) organization. It maintains a mailing list of all of its subscribers and contributors. Theater L has never rented its mailing list to a third party. Theater L is approached by the campaign committee of Candidate Q, who supports increased funding for the arts. Candidate Q's cam- paign committee offers to rent Theater L's mailing list for a fee that is comparable to fees charged by other similar organi- zations. Theater L rents its mailing list to Candidate Q's campaign committee. Theater L declines similar requests from campaign committees of other candidates. Theater L has intervened in a political campaign. Web Sites The Internet has become a widely used communications tool. Section 501(c)(3) organizations use their own web sites to disseminate statements and information. 2007-25 I.R.B. They also routinely link their web sites to web sites maintained by other organiza- tions as a way of providing additional in- formation that the organizations believe is useful or relevant to the public. A web site is a form of communication. If an organization posts something on its web site that favors or opposes a candidate for public office, the organization will be treated the same as if it distributed printed material, oral statements or broadcasts that favored or opposed a candidate. An organization has control over whether it establishes a link to another site. When an organization establishes a link to another web site, the organiza- tion is responsible for the consequences of establishing and maintaining that link, even if the organization does not have control over the content of the linked site. Because the linked content may change over time, an organization may reduce the risk of political campaign intervention by monitoring the linked content and adjust- ing the links accordingly. Links to candidate-related material, by themselves, do not necessarily constitute political campaign intervention. All the facts and circumstances must be taken into account when assessing whether a link produces that result. The facts and cir- cumstances to be considered include, but are not limited to, the context for the link on the organization's web site, whether all candidates are represented, any exempt purpose served by offering the link, and the directness of the links between the organization's web site and the web page that contains material favoring or oppos- ing a candidate for public office. Situation 19. M, a section 501(c)(3) or- ganization, maintains a web site and posts an unbiased, nonpartisan voter guide that is prepared consistent with the principles discussed in Rev. Rul. 78-248. For each candidate covered in the voter guide, M includes a link to that candidate's official campaign web site. The links to the can- didate web sites are presented on a consis- tent neutral basis for each candidate, with text saying "For more information on Can- didate X, you may consult [URL]." M has not intervened in a political campaign be- cause the links are provided for the exempt purpose of educating voters and are pre- sented in a neutral, unbiased manner that 2007-25 I.R.B. includes all candidates for a particular of- fice. Situation 20. Hospital N, a section 501(c)(3) organization, maintains a web site that includes such information as medical staff listings, directions to Hos- pital N, and descriptions of its specialty health programs, major research projects, and other community outreach programs. On one page of the web site, Hospital N describes its treatment program for a particular disease. At the end of the page, it includes a section of links to other web sites titled "More Information." These links include links to other hospitals that have treatment programs for this disease, research organizations seeking cures for that disease, and articles about treatment programs. This section includes a link to an article on the web site of O, a major national newspaper, praising Hospital N's treatment program for the disease. The page containing the article on O's web site contains no reference to any candidate or election and has no direct links to candi- date or election information. Elsewhere on O's web site, there is a page displaying editorials that O has published. Several of the editorials endorse candidates in an election that has not yet occurred. Hos- pital N has not intervened in a political campaign by maintaining the link to the article on O's web site because the link is provided for the exempt purpose of educating the public about Hospital N's programs and neither the context for the link, nor the relationship between Hospital N and O nor the arrangement of the links going from Hospital N's web site to the endorsement on O's web site indicate that Hospital N was favoring or opposing any candidate. Situation 21. Church P, a section 501(c)(3) organization, maintains a web site that includes such information as biographies of its ministers, times of services, details of community outreach programs, and activities of members of its congregation. B, a member of the con- gregation of Church P, is running for a seat on the town council. Shortly before the election, Church P posts the follow- ing message on its web site, "Lend your support to B, your fellow parishioner, in Tuesday's election for town council." Church P has intervened in a political campaign on behalf of B. 1426 HOLDINGS In situations 2, 4, 6, 9, 13, 15, 16, 18 and 21, the organization intervened in a political campaign within the meaning of section 501(c)(3). In situations 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 19 and 20, the organization did not intervene in a political campaign within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) DRAFTING INFORMATION The principal author of this revenue ruling is Judith Kindell of Exempt Orga- nizations, Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division. For further informa- tion regarding this revenue ruling, contact Ms. Kindell at (202) 283-8964 (not a toll-free call). Section 707.--Transactions Between Partner and Partnership 26 CFR 1.707-1: Transactions between partner and partnership. Partnership property; transfer. This ruling concludes that a transfer of partner- ship property to a partner in satisfaction of a guaranteed payment under section 707(c) of the Code is a sale or exchange under sec- tion 1001, and not a distribution under sec- tion 731. Rev. Rul. 2007-40 ISSUE Is a transfer of partnership property to a partner in satisfaction of a guaranteed payment under section 707(c) a sale or ex- change under section 1001, or a distribu- tion under section 731? FACTS Partnership purchased Blackacre for $500x. A, a partner in Partnership, is entitled to a guaranteed payment under section 707(c) of $800x. Subsequently, when the fair market value of Blackacre is $800x and Partnership's adjusted basis in Blackacre is $500x, Partnership transfers Blackacre to A in satisfaction of the guar- anteed payment to A. June 18, 2007 Appendix E: IRS Letter to 501(c)(4) applicants on new business process option for selfcertification and determination Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service P.O. Box 2508, Room 4106 Cincinnati, OH 45201 Date: Employer ID number: Person to contact: Contact telephone number: Contact fax number: Employee ID number: Dear [Applicant]: The IRS is instituting an optional expedited process for certain organizations applying for recognition of exemption under Section 501(c)(4) whose applications have been pending with the IRS for more than 120 days as of May 28, 2013. Organizations can make representations to the IRS under penalties of perjury regarding their past, current, and future activities and receive a determination letter based on those representations. If you choose to apply for this expedited process, complete and return pages 5-7, Representations and Specific Instructions. We will send you a favorable determination letter within 2 weeks of receipt of the signed representations. Determination letters issued under the optional process will be based on the representations of the organization and may not be relied upon if the organization's activities are different from what is represented to the IRS. The representations are subject to verification on audit. Organizations that don't make the representations will have their applications reviewed based on the legal standards applied to all the facts and circumstances. If you can make the representations required for eligibility under this optional process and want to participate, please follow the instructions set forth at the end of this letter, Optional Expedited Process for Certain Exemption Applications Under Section 501(c)(4). Send the signed representations within 45 days from the date of this letter to the address below: Internal Revenue Service P.O. Box 2508, Room 4106 Cincinnati, OH 45201 You can send the information by fax to [ your filing. Do not send an additional copy by mail. ]. Your fax signature becomes a permanent part of 1 Letter 5228 (6-2013) Catalog Number64005T If you have questions, you can contact the person whose name and telephone number are shown in the heading of this letter. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely, [Name [Title ] ] 2 Letter 5228 (6-2013) Catalog Number64005T Optional Expedited Process for Certain Exemption Applications Under Section 501(c)(4) In the interest of effective and efficient tax administration and to assist in the transparent and consistent review of applications for tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(4), the IRS is offering an optional expedited process for certain organizations that have submitted 501(c)(4) applications. This optional expedited process is currently available only to applicants for 501(c)(4) status with applications pending for more than 120 days as of May 28, 2013, that indicate the organization may be involved in political campaign intervention or issue advocacy. In this optional process, an organization will represent that it satisfies, and will continue to satisfy, set percentages with respect to the level of its social welfare activities and political campaign intervention activities (as defined in the specific instructions on pages 5-7). These percentage representations are not an interpretation of law but are a safe harbor for those organizations that choose to participate in the optional process. Under this optional expedited process, an applicant will be presumed to be primarily engaged in activities that promote social welfare based on certain additional representations (on pages 5-7) made by the organization regarding its past, present, and future activities. Like the Form 1024 exemption application itself, these representations are signed on behalf of the organization under penalties of perjury. Applicants that provide the representations will receive a favorable determination letter within two weeks of receipt of the representations. Importantly, this is an optional process. The standards and thresholds reflected in the representations are criteria for eligibility for expedited processing rather than new legal requirements. No inference will be drawn from an organization's choice not to participate. An organization that declines to make the representations will have its application reviewed under the regular process in which the IRS looks to all facts and circumstances to determine whether an organization primarily engages in activities that promote social welfare. Like all organizations receiving a favorable determination of exempt status, organizations participating in this optional expedited process may be subject to examination by the IRS and the organization's exempt status may be revoked if, and as of the tax year in which, the facts and circumstances indicate exempt status is no longer warranted. An organization that receives a determination letter under this expedited process may rely on its determination letter as long as its activities are consistent with its application for exemption and the representations, and the determination letter will expressly indicate that the letter was based on the representations. An organization may no longer rely on the determination letter issued under this optional 3 Letter 5228 (6-2013) Catalog Number64005T expedited process as of the tax year in which its activities (including the amount of expenditures incurred or time spent on particular activities) cease to be consistent with its application for exemption and any of the representations, if the applicable legal standards change, or if the determination letter is revoked. If the organization determines that it continues to be described in Section 501(c)(4) notwithstanding the fact that its activities are no longer consistent with the representations below, it may continue to take the position that it is described in Section 501(c)(4) and file Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, but it must notify the IRS about such representations ceasing to be correct on Schedule O, Supplemental Information, of the Form 990. 4 Letter 5228 (6-2013) Catalog Number64005T Representations and Specific Instructions 1. During each past tax year of the organization, during the current tax year, and during each future tax year in which the organization intends to rely on a determination letter issued under the optional expedited process, the organization has spent and anticipates that it will spend 60% or more of both the organization's total expenditures and its total time (measured by employee and volunteer hours) on activities that promote the social welfare (within the meaning of Section 501(c)(4) and the regulations thereunder). 2. During each past tax year of the organization, during the current tax year, and during each future tax year in which the organization intends to rely on a determination letter issued under the optional expedited process, the organization has spent and anticipates that it will spend less than 40% of both the organization's total expenditures and its total time (measured by employee and volunteer hours) on direct or indirect participation or intervention in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office (within the meaning of the regulations under Section 501(c)(4)). Specific instructions For purposes of these representations, "total expenditures" include administrative, overhead, and other general expenditures. An organization may allocate those expenditures among its activities using any reasonable method. For purposes of these representations, activities that promote the social welfare do not include any expenditure incurred or time spent by the organization on-? Any activity that benefits select individuals or organizations rather than the community as a whole; ? Direct or indirect participation or intervention in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office; ? Operating a social club for the benefit, pleasure, or recreation of the organization's members; and ? Carrying on a business with the general public in a manner similar to organizations operated for profit. 5 Letter 5228 (6-2013) Catalog Number64005T For purposes of these representations, direct or indirect participation or intervention in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office ("candidate") includes any expenditure incurred or time spent by the organization on: ? Any written (printed or electronic) or oral statement supporting (or opposing) the election or nomination of a candidate; ? Financial or other support provided to (or the solicitation of such support on behalf of) any candidate, political party, political committee, or Section 527 organization; ? Conducting a voter registration drive that selects potential voters to assist on the basis of their preference for a particular candidate or party; ? Conducting a "get-out-the-vote" drive that selects potential voters to assist on the basis of their preference for a particular candidate or (in the case of general elections) a particular party; ? Distributing material prepared by a candidate, political party, political committee, or Section 527 organization; and ? Preparing and distributing a voter guide that rates favorably or unfavorably one or more candidates. In addition, solely for purposes of determining an organization's eligibility under this optional expedited process, direct or indirect participation or intervention in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate includes any expenditure incurred or time spent by the organization on: ? Any public communication within 60 days prior to a general election or 30 days prior to a primary election that identifies a candidate in the election. For this purpose, "public communication" means a communication by means of any broadcast, cable, or satellite communication; newspaper, magazine, or other periodical (excluding any periodical distributed only to the organization's dues paying members); outdoor advertising facility, mass mailing, or telephone bank to the general public; and communications placed for a fee on another person's Internet website; ? Conducting an event at which only one candidate is, or candidates of only one party are, invited to speak; and ? Any grant to an organization described in Section 501(c) if the recipient of the grant engages in political campaign intervention.1 1 An organization may rely on a representation from an authorized officer of the recipient if the organization does not know whether the recipient engages in any political campaign intervention and may assume that a Section 501(c)(3) organization does not engage in political campaign intervention. 6 Letter 5228 (6-2013) Catalog Number64005T Although other activities may constitute direct or indirect participation or intervention in a political campaign (see Revenue Ruling 2007-41 for examples of factors to consider), representations may be based on the specific activities described in these instructions. Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I am authorized to sign these representations on behalf of the above organization, and that to the best of my knowledge and belief, the facts stated in the representations are true, correct, and complete. ___________________________________________________ _______ Signature of officer, director, trustee or other authorized official Date _____________________________________________________________ Title and printed name ______________________________________________ Organization name and Employer Identification Number 7 Letter 5228 (6-2013) Catalog Number64005T Appendix F: "Publication 1" (Your Rights as a axpaver) IRS Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service Publication 1 Your Rights as a Taxpayer (Rev. September 2012) Catalog Number 64731W www.irs.gov The first part of this publication explains some of your most important rights as a taxpayer. The second part explains the examination, appeal, collection, and refund processes. This publication is also available in Spanish. Declaration of Taxpayer Rights I. Protection of Your Rights IRS employees will explain and protect your rights as a taxpayer throughout your contact with us. II. Privacy and Confidentiality THE IRS MISSION PROVIDE AMERICA'S TAXPAYERS TOP QUALITY SERVICE BY HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND AND MEET THEIR TAX RESPONSIBILITIES AND BY APPLYING THE TAX LAW WITH INTEGRITY AND FAIRNESS TO ALL. The IRS will not disclose to anyone the information you give us, except as authorized by law. You have the right to know why we are asking you for information, how we will use it, and what happens if you do not provide requested information. III. Professional and Courteous Service If you believe that an IRS employee has not treated you in a professional, fair, and courteous manner, you should tell that employee's supervisor. If the supervisor's response is not satisfactory, you should write to the IRS director for your area or the center where you file your return. IV. Representation You may either represent yourself or, with proper written authorization, have someone else represent you in your place. Your representative must be a person allowed to practice before the IRS, such as an attorney, certified public accountant, or enrolled agent. If you are in an interview and ask to consult such a person, then we must stop and reschedule the interview in most cases. You can have someone accompany you at an interview. You may make sound recordings of any meetings with our examination, appeal, or collection personnel, provided you tell us in writing 10 days before the meeting. V. Payment of Only the Correct Amount of Tax You are responsible for paying only the correct amount of tax due under the law--no more, no less. If you cannot pay all of your tax when it is due, you may be able to make monthly installment payments. VI. Help With Unresolved Tax Problems The Taxpayer Advocate Service can help you if you have tried unsuccessfully to resolve a problem with the IRS. Your local Taxpayer Advocate can offer you special help if you have a significant hardship as a result of a tax problem. For more information, call toll free 1-877-777-4778 (1-800-829-4059 for TTY/TDD) or write to the Taxpayer Advocate at the IRS office that last contacted you. VII. Appeals and Judicial Review If you disagree with us about the amount of your tax liability or certain collection actions, you have the right to ask the Appeals Office to review your case. You may also ask a court to review your case. VIII. Relief From Certain Penalties and Interest The IRS will waive penalties when allowed by law if you can show you acted reasonably and in good faith or relied on the incorrect advice of an IRS employee. We will waive interest that is the result of certain errors or delays caused by an IRS employee. Examinations, Appeals, Collections, and Refunds Examinations (Audits) We accept most taxpayers' returns as filed. If we inquire about your return or select it for examination, it does not suggest that you are dishonest. The inquiry or examination may or may not result in more tax. We may close your case without change; or, you may receive a refund. The process of selecting a return for examination usually begins in one of two ways. First, we use computer programs to identify returns that may have incorrect amounts. These programs may be based on information returns, such as Forms 1099 and W-2, on studies of past examinations, or on certain issues identified by compliance projects. Second, we use information from outside sources that indicates that a return may have incorrect amounts. These sources may include newspapers, public records, and individuals. If we determine that the information is accurate and reliable, we may use it to select a return for examination. Publication 556, Examination of Returns, Appeal Rights, and Claims for Refund, explains the rules and procedures that we follow in examinations. The following sections give an overview of how we conduct examinations. By Mail We handle many examinations and inquiries by mail. We will send you a letter with either a request for more information or a reason why we believe a change to your return may be needed. You can respond by mail or you can request a personal interview with an examiner. If you mail us the requested information or provide an explanation, we may or may not agree with you, and we will explain the reasons for any changes. Please do not hesitate to write to us about anything you do not understand. By Interview If we notify you that we will conduct your examination through a personal interview, or you request such an interview, you have the right to ask that the examination take place at a reasonable time and place that is convenient for both you and the IRS. If our examiner proposes any changes to your return, he or she will explain the reasons for the changes. If you do not agree with these changes, you can meet with the examiner's supervisor. Repeat Examinations If we examined your return for the same items in either of the 2 previous years and proposed no change to your tax liability, please contact us as soon as possible so we can see if we should discontinue the examination. Appeals If you do not agree with the examiner's proposed changes, you can appeal them to the Appeals Office of IRS. Most differences can be settled without expensive and time-consuming court trials. Your appeal rights are explained in detail in both Publication 5, Your Appeal Rights and How To Prepare a Protest If You Don't Agree, and Publication 556, Examination of Returns, Appeal Rights, and Claims for Refund. If you do not wish to use the Appeals Office or disagree with its findings, you may be able to take your case to the U.S. Tax Court, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, or the U.S. District Court where you live. If you take your case to court, the IRS will have the burden of proving certain facts if you kept adequate records to show your tax liability, cooperated with the IRS, and meet certain other conditions. If the court agrees with you on most issues in your case and finds that our position was largely unjustified, you may be able to recover some of your administrative and litigation costs. You will not be eligible to recover these costs unless you tried to resolve your case administratively, including going through the appeals system, and you gave us the information necessary to resolve the case. Collections Publication 594, The IRS Collection Process, explains your rights and responsibilities regarding payment of federal taxes. It describes: o What to do when you owe taxes. It describes what to do if you get a tax bill and what to do if you think your bill is wrong. It also covers making installment payments, delaying collection action, and submitting an offer in compromise. o IRS collection actions. It covers liens, releasing a lien, levies, releasing a levy, seizures and sales, and release of property. Your collection appeal rights are explained in detail in Publication 1660, Collection Appeal Rights. Innocent Spouse Relief Generally, both you and your spouse are each responsible for paying the full amount of tax, interest, and penalties due on your joint return. However, if you qualify for innocent spouse relief, you may be relieved of part or all of the joint liability. To request relief, you must file Form 8857, Request for Innocent Spouse Relief. For more information on innocent Printed on recycled paper spouse relief, see Publication 971, Innocent Spouse Relief, and Form 8857. Potential Third Party Contacts Generally, the IRS will deal directly with you or your duly authorized representative. However, we sometimes talk with other persons if we need information that you have been unable to provide, or to verify information we have received. If we do contact other persons, such as a neighbor, bank, employer, or employees, we will generally need to tell them limited information, such as your name. The law prohibits us from disclosing any more information than is necessary to obtain or verify the information we are seeking. Our need to contact other persons may continue as long as there is activity in your case. If we do contact other persons, you have a right to request a list of those contacted. Refunds You may file a claim for refund if you think you paid too much tax. You must generally file the claim within 3 years from the date you filed your original return or 2 years from the date you paid the tax, whichever is later. The law generally provides for interest on your refund if it is not paid within 45 days of the date you filed your return or claim for refund. Publication 556, Examination of Returns, Appeal Rights, and Claims for Refund, has more information on refunds. If you were due a refund but you did not file a return, you generally must file your return within 3 years from the date the return was due (including extensions) to get that refund. Tax Information The IRS provides the following sources for forms, publications, and additional information. o Tax Questions: 1-800-829-1040 (1-800-829-4059 for TTY/TDD) o Forms and Publications: 1-800-829-3676 (1-800-829-4059 for TTY/TDD) o Internet: www.irs.gov o Small Business Ombudsman: A small business entity can participate in the regulatory process and comment on enforcement actions of IRS by calling 1-888-REG-FAIR. o Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration: You can confidentially report misconduct, waste, fraud, or abuse by an IRS employee by calling 1-800-366-4484 (1-800-877-8339 for TTY/TDD). You can remain anonymous.