Why the IRS is Targeting Open Source Software Groups
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Why the IRS is Targeting Open Source Software Groups
1–10 of 74 posts
Re: Why the IRS is Targeting Open Source Software Groups
#2Neither this nor the original post seem to link to any additional information about which FOSS groups have been hit by this. Does anyone know?
Re: Why the IRS is Targeting Open Source Software Groups
#3Which is interesting since they use open source software.
Re: Why the IRS is Targeting Open Source Software Groups
#4I wonder if this was an intended consequence of cutting IRS funding or whether those doing the cutting literally didn't think about it beyond "fuck'em!".
And now I'm wondering which scenario is more dissapointing.
Re: Why the IRS is Targeting Open Source Software Groups
#5Here is a redacted form just stating that:
"Open Source Software
These organizations are requesting either 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) exemption in order to collaboratively develop new software. The members of these organizations are usually the for-profit business or for-profit support technicians of the software.
There is no specific guidance at this point. If you see a case, elevate it to your manager." http://democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/sites/democrats.ways...
Re: Why the IRS is Targeting Open Source Software Groups
#6I wonder if this was an intended consequence of cutting IRS funding or whether those doing the cutting literally didn't think about it beyond "fuck'em!". And now I'm wondering which scenario is more dissapointing.
Why is the response to incompetence to increase funding? Incompetent businesses go out of business, they don't get more money. Others could do this job better - assuming we even want the job being done. The US became one of the most powerful nations in the world without any IRS for its first hundred plus years, gaining most of its revenue through tariffs rather than taxes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariffs_in_United_States_histor...
Re: Why the IRS is Targeting Open Source Software Groups
#7Neither this nor the original post seem to link to any additional information about which FOSS groups have been hit by this. Does anyone know?
Via huffingtonpost, here is a link to the IRS document which is the source of this report about "Open Source" firms being targeted.
What is released here is a "Be On the LOokout" (aka "BOLO") list - instructions to examiners. It talks not about specific companies but about criterea for evaluating applications for not-for-profit status. Regarding Open Source organizations, it notes that applicants may be the for-profit developers or for-profit support providers for the software. The advice given to examiners is to take it to their manager, since no more specific guidance is or was then yet available.
http://democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/sites/democrats.ways...
Re: Why the IRS is Targeting Open Source Software Groups
#8If huge corporations are hiding parts of their operations under a 501c status it SHOULD be looked into. Don't fall into the trap that Tea Party members fell into. This is not a scandal. Don't cry about it.
No big deal.
Re: Why the IRS is Targeting Open Source Software Groups
#9I wonder if this was an intended consequence of cutting IRS funding or whether those doing the cutting literally didn't think about it beyond "fuck'em!". And now I'm wondering which scenario is more dissapointing.
Why is the response to incompetence to increase funding? Incompetent businesses go out of business, they don't get more money. Others could do this job better - assuming we even want the job being done. The US became one of the most powerful nations in the world without any IRS for its first hundred plus years, gaining most of its revenue through tariffs rather than taxes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariffs_in_Unit…
If funding was at one level, and you decrease it, and the backlog of undone case work increases afterwards, it points to a pretty simple conclusion.
I'm talking very specifically about administrative issues here, philosophical musing about the nature of taxation is besides my point (and more generally completely unhelpful when it comes to actually getting stuff done).
If people want to eliminate IRS case work by eliminating a bunch of these 501(c)(abcdewhatever) categories, that's fine by me. But the work exists and it needs to get done. The way you get it done is by people doing it, for salary.
As far as 'others could do this job better', you're suspicious of taxes and want to hand it off to a private contractor or something? I can't say that that makes sense to me.
Re: Why the IRS is Targeting Open Source Software Groups
#10Neither this nor the original post seem to link to any additional information about which FOSS groups have been hit by this. Does anyone know?
CASH Music and Yorba have been mentioned publicly
http://faif.us/cast/2011/jul/05/0x13/ http://faif.us/cast/2011/nov/11/0x1C/
Link to first broken, see post/comments at http://web.archive.org/web/20110828144502/http://blog.cashmu...