Jupiter Chapter Addresses IRS Issues

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Last evening at Abacoa, the June meeting of the Jupiter Chapter addressed the national scandal surrounding the IRS and how it relates to the local tea party.

Kicked off by chapter leader Laura Hanley, the microphone was passed to President Mike Riordan who started with an overview of the IRS harassment and intimidation suffered by conservative groups since 2010. As members of the Tea Party Patriots, we are supporting their legal activity and the board is meeting with leader Jenny Beth Martin later this week.

Mostly targeted have been 501(c)(4) “social welfare” applications, a category that allows some political activity, as long as it is not the primary purpose of the group (as opposed to 501(c)(3) that does not). At the present time, PBCTP does not hold either exemption, but a decision has been made to apply for both (3) and (4) designations. As Mike pointed out, with all the Congressional and public scrutiny of the IRS, now is probably the best opportunity for a speedy decision.

A primer on how best to communicate with public officials then followed, along with some talking points on the issue, including:

• Targeting of ANY group based on political beliefs is unacceptable
• What can happen to one American can happen to ANY American
• The revenue collecting arm of the government cannot be used to target, intimidate or destroy
• We demand a full investigation into the IRS at all levels

Following some Q&A, we then heard from Ed Wolff on Oversight updates,  Fred Scheibl of the Taxpayer Action Board (TAB) about the upcoming county budget hearing next Tuesday where county staff plans to propose a tax increase, Lynne Sherrer about current activities surrounding the Common Core fight, and Jack McLain of the Constitution Party of Florida with his book “Which Way America?”

Finally, Congressional candidates in CD18 Ellen Andel and Alan Schlesinger introduced themselves to the group.