NRB Board Speaks Up for Ministries

At its annual convention at the beginning of this month, the NRB Board of Directors unanimously approved a resolution in defense of non-profit ministries. For the continued vitality of such groups, many of them NRB Members, the Board highlighted the significance of the income tax deduction for charitable giving:

Suggestions have been made by Members of Congress and by Executive Branch officials, that the charitable deduction be minimized or eliminated, and NRB believes that reducing or eliminating the charitable deduction would have a devastating effect on non-profit religious organizations and would destroy some ministries and would negatively impact the good work of other ones that provide free services and great public benefits to their communities and to the nation;

Board Members called on federal officials not to harm this century-old successful tax policy. They also urged the FCC to further encourage charitable giving by finalizing an NRB proposal that noncommercial broadcasters be able to use up to one percent of their air-time to perform fundraising for third party non-profit organizations. Moreover, the Board included a statement in this resolution in defense of the autonomy of ministries noting that “religious groups should be able to operate free of entangling, or oppressive oversight from the government” and urged Congress not to create such new problematic tax laws.

• Find the NRB Board’s past and present resolutions.     
• Rep. David Reichert (R-WA) and Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), members of the House Ways & Means Committee, are leading a working group to analyze the importance of charitable tax incentives for a possible revision of the U.S. tax code this year. Find out how to submit public comments for their analysis here.

By Aaron Mercer, Vice President Government Relations

Published: March 15, 2013