Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
- Publication Year
- Publication
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 14 of 14
Full-Text Articles in Law
Building Resilience By Removing Barriers: Addressing Structural Impediments To Advocacy By Nonprofit Organizations On Behalf Of The Unenfranchised, Kirsten Widner, Heather M. Kolinsky
Building Resilience By Removing Barriers: Addressing Structural Impediments To Advocacy By Nonprofit Organizations On Behalf Of The Unenfranchised, Kirsten Widner, Heather M. Kolinsky
University of Cincinnati Law Review
Charitable contributions, particularly from private foundations, are an essential source of support for many nonprofit charitable organizations. However, the ability to accept these contributions comes with significant restrictions on lobbying and advocacy. Using vulnerability theory and an original survey of nonprofit advocacy organizations, we show that current restrictions on 501(c)(3) organizations disproportionally limit advocacy on behalf of the most politically disadvantaged groups—those without the right to vote. This, in turn, reinforces existing inequalities in whose voices are heard and whose interests are considered by policymakers. This Article argues that reforming the laws that structure what organizations can take tax-deductible charitable …
Nonprofits, Taxes, And Speech, Lloyd H. Mayer
Nonprofits, Taxes, And Speech, Lloyd H. Mayer
Journal Articles
Federal tax law is of two minds when it comes to speech by nonprofits. The tax benefits provided to nonprofits are justified in significant part because they provide nonprofits great discretion in choosing the specific ends and means to pursue, thereby promoting diversity and pluralism. But current law withholds some of these tax benefits if a nonprofit engages in certain types of political speech. Legislators have also repeatedly, if unsuccessfully, sought to expand these political speech restrictions in various ways. And some commentators have proposed denying tax benefits to groups engaged in other types of disfavored speech, including hate speech …
Response By Tax-Exempt Organization Scholars To Request For Information, Ellen P. Aprill, Roger Colinvaux, Brian D. Galle, Philip Hackney, Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer
Response By Tax-Exempt Organization Scholars To Request For Information, Ellen P. Aprill, Roger Colinvaux, Brian D. Galle, Philip Hackney, Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer
Articles
A group of academics who study and write about tax-exempt organizations, including their politically related activities, has responded to an August 14, 2023 Request for Information (RFI) from the Ways and Means Committee regarding issues in connection with the advocacy activities of tax-exempt organizations. The submission describes aspects of current law and provides an appendix with a list of the authors’ relevant scholarly work. As a preliminary matter, the submission emphasizes the importance of the voice of tax-exempt organizations to a well-functioning civil society and democracy. The submission also notes that in no case do the laws applicable to tax-exempt …
A Critical Problem Needing A Bolder Solution?: A Response To Atinuke O. Adediran's "Nonprofit Board Composition", Lloyd Hitashi Mayer
A Critical Problem Needing A Bolder Solution?: A Response To Atinuke O. Adediran's "Nonprofit Board Composition", Lloyd Hitashi Mayer
Journal Articles
The governing boards of nonprofit organizations, and particularly of nonprofits that serve low income and other vulnerable populations, fail to adequately include the populations that they serve. At least this is the common understanding among people familiar with these boards. Professor Atinuke Adediran not only confirms the existence of this problem but clarifies it in four important ways. Professor Adediran also proposes concrete steps to address it; although, the clarity she has brought to the problem raises the question of whether she could have been bolder in her proposed solutions.
The clarity comes from new data, careful consideration of previous …
Curbing (Or Not) Foreign Influence On U.S. Politics And Policies Through The Federal Taxation Of Charities, Johnny Rex Buckles
Curbing (Or Not) Foreign Influence On U.S. Politics And Policies Through The Federal Taxation Of Charities, Johnny Rex Buckles
Maryland Law Review
No abstract provided.
The Promises And Perils Of Using Big Data To Regulate Nonprofits, Lloyd Histoshi Mayer
The Promises And Perils Of Using Big Data To Regulate Nonprofits, Lloyd Histoshi Mayer
Journal Articles
For the optimist, government use of “Big Data” involves the careful collection of information from numerous sources. The government then engages in expert analysis of those data to reveal previously undiscovered patterns. Discovering patterns revolutionizes the regulation of criminal behavior, education, health care, and many other areas. For the pessimist, government use of Big Data involves the haphazard seizure of information to generate massive databases. Those databases render privacy an illusion and result in arbitrary and discriminatory computer-generated decisions. The reality is, of course, more complicated. On one hand, government use of Big Data may lead to greater efficiency, effectiveness, …
A (Partial) Defense Of Section 501(C)(4)'S “Catchall” Nature, Lloyd Histoshi Mayer
A (Partial) Defense Of Section 501(C)(4)'S “Catchall” Nature, Lloyd Histoshi Mayer
Journal Articles
Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(4) provides exemption from federal income tax for “social welfare” organizations. The vagueness of this term and the failure of the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service to interpret it in a manner that would significantly limit that vagueness has led some commentators to criticize this section’s “catchall” nature. While much scholarly attention has been paid to this criticism with respect to the most visible section 501(c)(4) organizations, particularly those involved in political campaign activity and lobbying, almost no attention has been paid to the many less common types of section 501(c)(4) organizations that illustrate that …
The Cambridge Handbook Of Social Enterprise Law, Lloyd Histoshi Mayer, Paul B. Miller
The Cambridge Handbook Of Social Enterprise Law, Lloyd Histoshi Mayer, Paul B. Miller
Books
Book Chapters
Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, Creating a Tax Space for Social Enterprise, in The Cambridge Handbook of Social Enterprise Law 157 (Benjamin Means & Joseph W. Yockey eds., 2018)
While still relatively few in number compared to traditional nonprofit and for-profit organizations, the rise of social enterprises represents a possible disruption of not only existing models of doing business but also areas of law that in many respects have seen little fundamental change for decades. One such area is domestic tax law, where social enterprises currently find themselves subject to the rules of for-profit activities and entities. Here, both scholars …
Open Source: The Enewsletter Of Rwu Law 09-22-2017, Roger Williams University School Of Law
Open Source: The Enewsletter Of Rwu Law 09-22-2017, Roger Williams University School Of Law
Life of the Law School (1993- )
No abstract provided.
Newsroom: Donald Trump Vs. Roger Williams 05-09-2017, David Logan
Newsroom: Donald Trump Vs. Roger Williams 05-09-2017, David Logan
Life of the Law School (1993- )
No abstract provided.
Rwu First Amendment Blog: David A. Logan's Blog: Donald Trump Vs. Roger Williams 05-08-2017, David A. Logan
Rwu First Amendment Blog: David A. Logan's Blog: Donald Trump Vs. Roger Williams 05-08-2017, David A. Logan
Law School Blogs
No abstract provided.
The Pro Bono Collaborative: Celebrating 10 Years Of Pro Bono Partnerships, Roger Williams University School Of Law
The Pro Bono Collaborative: Celebrating 10 Years Of Pro Bono Partnerships, Roger Williams University School Of Law
Pro Bono Collaborative Staff Publications
No abstract provided.
Taxing Social Enterprise, Lloyd Histoshi Mayer
Taxing Social Enterprise, Lloyd Histoshi Mayer
Journal Articles
The fairly strict divide in the United States between for-profit and nonprofit forms presents a quandary for many entrepreneurs who want to combine doing good with doing well. On the one hand, for-profits offer great flexibility and access to capital and so attract entrepreneurs who would like to take advantage of the ability of for-profits to scale up rapidly to meet growing demand. At the same time, however, for-profit forms also limit entrepreneurs’ ability to engage in philanthropy, due to the fiduciary duties managers owe to the equity holders. On the other hand, nonprofits offer their founders the freedom to …
Reforming Nonprofit Exemption Requirements, Peter Molk
Reforming Nonprofit Exemption Requirements, Peter Molk
UF Law Faculty Publications
This Article proposes a reform for nonprofit exemption and unrelated business income tax. Current tax law provides unclear guidance and requires exempt organizations to risk their entire exemptions on this guidance, leading them to make the socially inefficient choice to use for-profit subsidiaries to preserve their exemptions. Reforming the tax law will solve this inefficiency while providing exempt nonprofits with the desirable option to undertake efficient nonexempt activities to augment their operating budgets. This reform is particularly timely in light of changes to the healthcare field; reform will enable exempt healthcare organizations to offset rising health costs and decreased reimbursements …