Question.1902 - The 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status was created as part of the Tariff Act of 1913, which set aside tax-exemptions for “civic and commercial” organizations at the behest of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Organizations that file as a 501(c)(4) must do one of two activities as its primary activity: Civic leagues or organizations not organized for profit but operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare. Local associations of employees, the membership of which is limited to the employees of a designated person or persons in a particular municipality and the net earnings of which are devoted exclusively to charitable, educational, or recreational purposes. A 501(c)(4) is prohibited from actively engaging in politics as its primary function. Watch the Frontline Documentary “Big Sky-Big Money” from the link posted on Canvas. Then write a 2-3 page persuasive essay addressing the following the questions: To what extent do you think Superpacs have had an influence on elections (this can either be in actual outcomes, or in tone of the campaigns) Do you think the Citizens United case has had an overall positive or negative impact on campaigns? How could the regulation for 501(c)4s be improved to insure that they are not participating in political activity as their main primary function. You will need to do some research on 501(c)4s other than Superpacs to fully answer the question. The paper should be 2-3 pages, double spaced. Use full citations where necessary. The paper will be turned in on blackboard on Canvas. You may need to conduct some additional research into 501(c)4s in order to fully address the question.
Answer Below:
1. To what extent do you think Superpacs have influenced elections? Super PACs, which are tax-exempt under 501(c)(4), have significantly impacted elections, both in terms of the results and the tone of the campaigns. Super PACs have changed how elections work by giving political campaigns amounts of money that have never been seen before. With this new money, they've been able to pay for extensive advertising campaigns, often full of attack ads and negative messages. As a result, candidates backed by well-funded Super PACs can get their messages out to more people and beat their opponents. In addition, Super PACs have changed the way political campaigns are run. With access to large amounts of money, these groups can control the stories and conversations around elections. It is becoming more common for Super PACs to pay for negative ads. This makes political debate more divisive and hurts people's trust in the election process. Also, the fact that Super PACs don't have to answer to candidates has let them run aggressive campaigns without being held accountable. Therefore, Super PACs have significantly affected elections by giving money and changing how political campaigns are run. Their ability to raise and spend as much money as they want has wholly altered how elections work, affecting both the results and the stories of elections across the country(Post & Boris, 2023). 2. Do you think the Citizens United case has positively or negatively impacted campaigns? The Citizens United case, which made it easier for Super PACs to form by equating corporate spending with free speech, has mostly been bad for political campaigns. Supporters say it increased freedom of speech and encouraged people to get involved in politics, but the truth is that it has made elections less reliable and increased the role of money in politics. Citizens United has changed the playing field in favor of wealthy donors and big businesses by letting corporations and special interest groups spend as much money as they want to influence elections. The large amount of money has made it harder for regular people to be heard, which makes grassroots organizing and individual donations less effective. Super PACs have also funded many attack ads and negative campaigns, which have tainted the political discourse and led to gridlock and polarisation. Overall, the Citizens United decision has messed up democracy by giving moneyed interests too much power and making people less trusting of how fair and transparent elections are. Because of this, it has had primarily adverse effects on campaigns(Hall, 2006). 3. How could the regulation for 501(c)4s be improved to ensure they do not participate in political activity as their primary function? Several changes could be implemented to better regulate 501(c)(4) organizations and prevent them from engaging in politics as their primary activity. The IRS could first make it clearer what types of political activities these organizations are permitted to conduct. By establishing clear standards and guidelines, the IRS can ensure that 501(c)(4) organizations do what the law requires to promote social welfare. More transparency measures could be implemented to improve accountability and oversight. This could include publicizing donors and expenditures so that the public can see where 501(c)(4) organizations get their money and what they do. With stricter reporting requirements, regulators would be better able to identify and address cases of excessive political involvement. It is also possible that organizations that violate the rules will face harsher penalties and enforcement mechanisms. Regulators can prevent abuse and protect the tax-exempt status by holding 501(c)(4) organizations accountable for any illegal political activities. Finally, these changes will assist regulators in holding 501(c)(4) organisations more accountable and ensuring that they do what they are supposed to do, which is to improve people's lives rather than use them for political gain(Barker, 2012). References Barker, K. (2012). How Nonprofits Spend Millions on Elections and Call it Public Welfare. ProPublica, August, 18. IRS_LETTER_FORWARDING_PRO_PUBLICA_ARTICLE_8_21_12.pdf (democracy21.org) Hall, P. D. (2006). A historical overview of philanthropy, voluntary associations, and nonprofit organizations in the United States, 1600–2000. The nonprofit sector: A research handbook, 2, 32-65. https://doi.org/10.12987/9780300153439-005 Post, M. A., & Boris, E. T. (2023, April). Nonprofit Political Engagement: The Roles of 501 (c)(4) Social Welfare Organizations in Elections and Policymaking. In Nonprofit Policy Forum (Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 131-155). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/npf-2021-0061More Articles From Political Science
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