House Subcommittee Examines Tax-Exempt Organizations, Complexity of Form 990

Last week, the U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight held a hearing to examine issues related to public charities. The hearing was the second in a series focused on tax-exempt organizations and focused primarily on the complexity of public charity structures, the rules governing profit-generating activities, and the effects of the recently redesigned Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990 in improving compliance and transparency.  Tax-exempt health care providers use Form 990 to detail the benefits they provide to their communities.

Witnesses included an IRS representative who detailed the agency’s activities related to tax-exempt organizations, as well as members of the higher education and legal communities who testified to the continued complexity of the Form 990 despite recent changes.

This series of tax-exempt hearings is part of a larger comprehensive tax reform effort by the House Ways and Means Committee.  Contact: Chelsi Stevens