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JOHNSON AMENDMENT UNITED STATES LAW EQUAL
PROTECTION? NO. · City Mayors are permitted
to support or oppose political candidates; but city governments (generally)
are exempt from income tax. · State Governors are
permitted to support or oppose political candidates; but state governments
are exempt from income tax. · No equal protection here;
pastors are prohibited from supporting or opposing any political candidate;
if their church has been granted a tax exemption. Amendment
14 Section 1: equal protection phrase: nor deny to any person within its
jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Cities,
States are exempt from income tax! IRC
Section 115 excludes from gross income any income derived from the exercise
of or administration of any public function. Churches
are denied Churches
and Church ministers (which have tax exemptions) are prohibited from support
or opposition of any political candidate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_Amendment Trump
signed executive order on religious
liberty http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/331902-trump-eases-ban-on-political-activity-by-churches https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-executive-order-promoting-free-speech-religious-liberty IRS
Pub 1828, Tax Guide for Churches and Religious
Organizations
IRS
Publication 501(C)(3) Below copied from Page 7 of
IRS Pub 1828: Please refer to the IRS Pub or the law behind that document for
full understanding. Political Campaign Activity Under the Internal Revenue Code, all IRC Section
501(c)(3) organizations, including churches and religious organizations, are
absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or
intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any
candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign
funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made by or on
behalf of the organization in favor of (or in opposition to) any candidate
for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign
activity. Violation of this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of
tax-exempt status and the imposition of excise tax. Certain
activities or expenditures may
not be prohibited depending on the facts and circumstances. For
example, certain voter education activities (including the presentation of public forums
and the publication of voter education guides) conducted in a non-partisan manner do not
constitute prohibited political
campaign activity. In addition, other activities intended to encourage
people to participate in the electoral process, such as voter registration
and get-out-the-vote drives, would not constitute prohibited political
campaign activity if conducted in a non-partisan manner. On the other hand,
voter education or registration activities with evidence of bias that: (a)
would favor one candidate over another; (b) oppose a candidate in some
manner; or (c) have the effect of favoring a candidate or group of
candidates, will constitute prohibited participation or intervention. As a candidate for congress, I have participated
in a political forum at a Church. Johnson Motive? Below Quote
from this web site: “As background, then-Senator Lyndon Johnson
introduced the amendment, purportedly motivated by activities of charities
allied to one of his opponents during his 1954 primary election. A charitable
organization formed in opposition to the New Deal, the Committee for
Constitutional Government, launched a campaign that suggested that a vote for
the incumbent (Johnson) was a vote for socialism in Washington. The campaign,
which was both unusual and initially a threat to Johnson, resulted in Johnson
questioning the legality of the committee’s actions. Upon learning that those
actions were legal, Johnson introduced the amendment on The
Churches were very active in our nation’s beginning. We need the Church to
teach the people what their vote means. Herbert
G. Peters Candidate
for US Senate, Copyright
2018 |