CA Church Won’t Comply With IRS Probe“A liberal Pasadena church on Thursday declared that it will refuse to comply with an IRS investigation into its tax-exemption status launched after a guest speaker was critical of President Bush in a sermon. Now, as the November election approaches, some churches worry that they may be the next targets of the IRS. This summer, the agency issued a statement warning nonprofits, including churches, that it was stepping up its efforts to crack down on illegal electioneering.

The Interfaith Alliance announced Thursday that it has started distributing 20,000 pamphlets to churches, synagogues and mosques offering advice on how to comply with federal law….The goal, Gaddy said, is to avoid the kind of partisan politicking recently aired in a televised campaign ad for Rep. Harold E. Ford Jr. (D-Tennessee), who is running for a Senate seat. The commercial is set inside a church.” (LA Times, “All Saints Episcopal Church Won't Comply With IRS Probe,” 09-22-06)