Letter: My two cents

Provisions of IRS code Section 501(c)4 created by Congress and intended for social welfare beneficiaries and to serve the poor and underprivileged, has been perverted by the Tea Party to hide funds for political activities.

It is common knowledge that Tea Party groups have used Section 501(c)4 as a cover to provide tax free money to Political Action Committees and similar lobbying groups. Under 501(c)4, groups involved in political activities are prohibited from receiving the status of nonprofit status.

Tea partiers claim that, “the IRS waged a three-year war against the Tea Party, harassing our groups and even auditing our individual members. This abuse of power is unacceptable and unconstitutional, and it must stop.” However, records show that not a single application from a Tea Party group has been denied 501(c)4 status.

The same records show that more than two-thirds of Tea Party-like groups scrutinized by the IRS had in fact engaged in political activities and should be disqualified as nonprofits. The IRS is mandated by law to review and verify information submitted to qualify for the exemption. The scandal should be about the IRS failure to deny these groups their applications for the 501(c)4 status.

Instead, the IRS is being vilified by republicans and the media for finally doing their job of screening the applications for the nonprofit status under 501(c)4.

The uproar is about cheaters screaming foul like wounded eagles.

Guy M. Guerrero

Burlingame