​

January 2014
 

• Court Holds Parsonage Allowance Law Unconstitutional [Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. v. Lew]
   

• Treasury, IRS Issue Update to 2013-2014 Priority Guidance Plan
   

• Case Study: How to Not Structure "Friends Of" Organization [PLR 201345031]
   

• Easement Deduction Upheld But Valuation Penalty Imposed [Gorra v. Commissioner]
   

• Easement Deduction Denied; Donor Lacked Right to Give It [61 York Acquisition, LLC v. Commissioner]
   

• IRS Again Misapplies Private Inurement Doctrine [PLR 201347023]
   

• Other Recent IRS Private Letter Rulings [PLRs 201342011, 201343028, 201344009, 201344011, 201345033, 201347023, 201347024]
   

• IRS Updates Tax Rates, Inflation Adjustments For 2014 [Rev. Proc. 2013-35]
   

• Will Supreme Court Temper Fluid Recovery/Charity Awards? [Marek v. Lane]
   

February 2014
 

• Social Welfare Organizations Political Activities Regulations Proposed, Extensive Comments Sought [REG-134417-13
  ]

• Tax Court Again Opines on Nonprofit Governance Elements [The Council for Education v. Commissioner]
   

• Art Lending, Leasing and Self-Dealing Rules: Case Study [PLR 201346011]
   

• Business League Law Corner [PLRs 201347022, 201349019, 201349021]
   

• Online Fundraising Activities Held Violations of Commerciality and Private Benefit Doctrines [PLR 201350042]
   

• Government Hospitals' Plea Suggests Gap in IRS Procedures
   

• IRS Publishes Unrelated Business Statistics for 2009
   

March 2014
 

• IRS Issues Interim Guidance for Type III Entities Supporting Governmental Organizations [Notice 2014-4]
   

• Current IRS Thinking on Activities Measurement
   

• IRS Finds Too Much Political Activity for Social Welfare Status [PLRs 201403019, 201403020]
   

• Camp Introduces Bill to Block Social Welfare Organization Regs [H.R. 3865]
   

• IRS Issues Guidance as to Exempt Hospital Rules [Notices 2014-2, -3]
   

• Foundation Fails in Excise Tax Abatement Effort [TAMs 201351027, 20112950]
   

• Commerciality Strikes Again [PLR 201403017]
   

• IRS Issues Exemption Reinstatement Procedures for Nonfilers [Rev. Proc. 2014-11]
   

• IRS Issues Procedural Rules for 2014 [Rev. Procs. 2014-1 through 2014-10]
   

• Regulations Proposed on Abusive CRT Assets Sale Transaction [REG-154890-03]
   

• Litigation Rages Over Contraceptive Mandate's Constitutionality
   

April 2014
 

• Camp's Tax Proposal Unveiled
   

• Website Ruled a Periodical for Purposes of UBI Cost Allocation Rules [PLR 201405029]
   

• Easement Organization Has Exemption Revoked; Held "Conduit" for Accountant's Practice [PLR 201405018]
   

• Organization Denied Exemption Because of Substantial Legislative Activities [PLR 201408030]
   

• Charity Held to Be Lessening Burdens of Government, Not Taxable on Sales of Mitigation Credits [PLR 201408031]

• Tax Exemption Means Tax Exemption -- A Reprise [Montgomery County, Maryland v. Federal National Mortgage Association]
   

• UBI Corner [PLRs 201406020, 201407022, 201407024]
   

• Other Recent IRS Private Letter Rulings [PLRs 201405018, 201405022, 201406019, 201407021, 201407023, 201407024]
   

• Charitable Deduction Denied Due to Lack of Qualified Appraisal [Alli v. Commissioner]
   

• Camp Bill Update
   

• Regulations Struck Down Because IRS Lacks Jurisdiction [Loving v. Internal Revenue Service]
   

May 2014
 

• Fundraising Entity Denied Exemption on Commerciality and Private Benefit Grounds [PLR 201407014]
   

• Another Fundraising Entity Denied Exemption on Commerciality Grounds [PLR 201410035]
   

• Health Care Cooperative Denied Exemption on Commerciality and Private Benefit Grounds [PLR 201409012]
   

• Cemetery Association Ruled Able to Have Taxable Subsidiary [PLR 201409009]
   

• Other Recent IRS Private Determinations [ TAM 201409010, PLRs 201409013, 201411037, 201411038, 201411039]
   

• Easement Limited by State Law Not Perpetual, Not Deductible [Wachter v. Commissioner]
   

• A Sampling of Comments on Proposed Political Activity Regulations
   

June 2014
 

• IRS Proposes Streamlined Exemption Recognition Application [Form 1023-EZ]
   

• Senate Finance Committee Approves Tax Law Extenders
   

• EO Division Is "Reorganizing," by Concentrating Application Processing in Cincinnati
   

• Gaming Organization Loses Exemption Pursuant to Commensurate Test [PLR 201415003]
   

• A Case Study on Operating Foundations/Museums and the Federal Tax Law [PLR 201415010]
   

• Supreme Court Strikes Down Another Campaign Financing Restriction [McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission]
   

• Other Recent IRS Private Determinations [TAM 201413013, Chief Couns. Adv. Mem. 201414014, PLRs 201413012, 201414029, 201414031, 201415009, 201416009, 201416010]
   

• Court Again Denies Deduction for Gift of Facade Easement [Kaufman v. Commissioner]
   

• IRS Shifts Position on Credit Union Unrelated Income Issues [May 24, 2014, memorandum]
   

July 2014
 

• Treasury/IRS to Repropose Political Activity Regulations
   

• Social Media Comments Help Torpedo Recognition of Exemption [PLR 201417017]
   

• Government Hay-Cutting Causes Property to be Exempt Function Asset [PLR 201419017]
   

• IRS Issues Another Mistaken PLR on Board Governance [PLR 201421022]
   

• Other Recent IRS Private Letter Rulings [PLRs 201416011, 201418061, 201419015, 201420010, 201420020, 201421023]
   

• Conservation Easement Litigation [Palmer Ranch holdings Ltd. v. Commissioner; Chandler v. Commissioner]
   

• ABA Tax Section Submits Comments on Proposed Political Activities Regulations
   

• Shams, Lack of Economic Substance, and the Charitable Deduction [RERI HoldingsI, LLC v. Commissioner]
   

• IRS Publishes Data Concerning Charitable Organizations
   

• Split-Interest Trust Filings Continue to Decline
   

August 2014
 

• Valuation/Penalty Seven-Year War May Have Ended [Whitehouse Hotel Limited Partnership v. Commissioner]
   

• In Battle of Experts, Easement Found to Have No Value, Thus No Deduction [Scheidelman v. Commissioner]
   

• Jurisdictional Hurdles Cleared in Case of Alleged Discriminatory Review of Exemption Application [Z Street, Inc. v. Koskinen]
   

• Charitable Deduction Denied Because of Quid Pro Quos [Seventeen Seventy Sherman Street, LLC v. Commissioner]
   

• Missing Facts Mar PLR [PLR 201422027]
   

• Proceeds From Club's Sale of Easement Not Unrelated Income [PLR 201425016]
   

• Other Recent IRS Private Letter Rulings [PLRs 201422025, 201424023, 201424028, 201425025]
   

• Why Can't the Media Get This One Right?
  
   

September 2014
 

• IRS Releases Final Version of Streamlined Application for Recognition of Tax Exemption [Form 1023-EZ]
   

• Contraceptive Mandate Opinion Offers Extensive Supreme Court Look at Nonprofit, For-Profit Corporate Forms [Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.]
   

• Supreme Court Again Enjoins Administration on Contraceptive Mandate Enforcement [Wheaton College v. Burwell]
   

• Hospital's Lab Testing for Nonpatients Held Related Activity [TAM 201428030]
   

• Cemetery Association's Acquisition of Land From Insiders Held to Not Entail Private Inurement [PLR 201428011]
   

• In No "New Entity" Decision, IRS Gets It Wrong [PLR 201426028]
   

• Model Business League Gets IRS Rave Review [PLR 201426029]
   

October 2014
 

• Retirement Plan Promotor Loses on Exempt Business League Claim [ABA Retirement Funds v. United States]
   

• Museum's Gift Shop Sales Ruled Related Business [PLR 201429029]
   

• Online Sorority Denied Recognition of Exemption [PLR 201434022]
   

• Mobile Giving Promotor Denied Recognition of Exemption as Charity [PLR 201429027]
   

• Social Club's Exemption Ruled Unaffected by Spin-Off of Sporting Events [PLR 201428009]
   

• Other Recent IRS Private Letter Rulings [PLRs 201430014, 201431031,201431032, 201432037, 201434025; TAM 201430019]
   

• Private Foundation Corner [PLRs 201430017, 201432025]
   

• Tax Court Corner [Schmidt v. Commissioner;Zarlengo v. Commissioner; RERI Holdings I, LLC v. Commissioner]
   

• Another Court Opinion Shows Why IRS Lacks Jurisdiction Over Matters of Nonprofit Governance [Ridgely v. Lew]
   

• TIGTA Finds Exempt Organizations With Federal Funding, Tax Debt [2014-10-012]
   

November 2014
 

• TE/GE Counsel Bifurcating
   

• Treasury/IRS Issue 2014-2015 Priority Guidance Plan
   

• Health Care Entity Ruled Nonexempt on Dubious Grounds [PLR 201436050]
   

• Disqualified Persons Everywhere But Not Alaways [PLRs 201433021-201433024]
   

• Government-Funded Wi-Fi Project Held Not Charitable Entity [PLR 201434023]
   

• This PLR Is a Packet of Nonsense [PLR 201428022]
   

• Private Foundation Corner: Two PLRS Yield 20 Rulings [PLRs 201435016, 201435017]
   

• Illustrations [PLRs 201437004, 201437014; TAM 201438034]
   

• Other Recent IRS Private Letter Rulings [PLRs 201433016, 201436051]
   

• Senate SubcommitteeIssues Report on Treasury, IRS "Failures" in Connection With Exempt Organizations Processing
   

• Note on IRS Determination Letters
   

December 2014
 

• TIGTA to Revisit Its Report on IRS Processing of Applications
   

• IRS Declines to Abate Excess Business Holdings Taxes, Finds Insufficient Reliance on Legal Advice [TAM 201441021]
   

• IRS Stoops to New Low in Its Stream of Governance Rulings [PLR 201440020]
   

• Private Benefit Doctrine Takes Unexpected Beating [PLR 2014400023]
   

• To Receive Charitable Deduction, One Must Be the Donor [Kalapodis v. Commissioner]
   

• PLR Illustrates Foundation Acquisition of S Corporation Stock by Gift, Stock Purchases by Company's ESOP [PLR 201441018]
   

• Charity's Restoration of Club's Historic Building Held to Cause Only Incidental Private Benefit [PLR 201442066]
   

• Foundation's Pledge of Securities in Support of Hospital's Bond Issue Ruled Program-Related Investment [PLR 201442061]