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You have to wonder how much editorial control openly gay MSNBC midday anchor Thomas Roberts has, as it seems he rarely misses an important LGBT story.
The anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund is quite unhappy with the IRS ombudsman who says that married gay couples can expect little retribution for filing joint returns.
Nina E. Olson, the national taxpayer advocate who acts as an ombudsman for the I.R.S., acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding federal taxation of same-gender spouses in an annual report to Congress. In the report, she said that taxpayers may take a filing position without penalty if there is “substantial authority” to do so, such as a court case that hasn’t been overruled by the United States Court of Appeals. And there happen to be two such cases, which are currently on appeal.Last week the Refuse To Lie campaign launched with the warning for gay couples to seriously consider the possible ramifications.
Equality Florida tips us to a new campaign in which legally married gay couples will "refuse to lie" and will therefore file joint tax returns.
Each year the federal government demands that thousands of married couples lie. The federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) not only denies legally married gay couples the benefits of heterosexual marriage, but we are also told to disavow our spouses and file our taxes as "single." The Federal Government must stop requiring legally married gay couples to deny the existence of our families and hide our marriages. It is dehumanizing and it is wrong. Across the country, legally married gay couples are taking a stand. We are refusing to lie about the fact that we are married.Refuse To Lie organizers warn: "Taking this principled stand is not without risk and each person doing so needs to carefully consider those risks before deciding if it is a stand you are willing to take." Facebook page here.
It may surprise you to know that seven of the ten richest members of Congress are Democrats. Openly gay Rep. Jared Polis, at number five, made his fortune with online greeting card and flower delivery companies. And all ten of the above voted to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy. Mother Jones has lots more interesting graphs at the link.
Sen. Chuck Grassley has wrapped up his three-year investigation into the fundraising practices of major televangelists. No action will be taken by the government, mostly because the figures being investigated refused to provide financial data.
The report by Sen. Chuck Grassley questions the personal use of church-owned airplanes, luxury homes and credit cards by pastors and their families, and a lack of financial oversight. But Grassley draws no specific conclusions about whether the ministries violated IRS rules that bar excessive compensation for leaders of religious nonprofits. Two of the targeted televangelists -- Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn -- made changes in response to the inquiry. But Kenneth Copeland Ministries, Bishop Eddie Long, Creflo Dollar Ministries and televangelists Randy and Paula White refused to provide information, while insisting they comply with IRS rules.Stand by for announcements of God's intervention!
NOM has released a partial version of their 2009 tax return. The HRC-sponsored site NOM Exposed reports:
Most of the $7.1 million in revenue in ’09 came from a few very large donors. These donors could be individuals or corporations. Here is how NOM’s top donations break down.NOM had rebuffed demands to see the return until representatives from HRC twice physically visited their DC office. Video of one of those visits can be seen here.
1. $2,475,000
2. $1,230,000
3. $1,100,000
4. $400,000
5. $150,000
Running the numbers, this means that 3 wealthy donors contributed 68% of their total donations; 4 donors gave 73% and 5 donors gave 75%. These figures reinforce what we and others (Fred Karger) have been saying: the National Organization for Marriage does not represent some sizeable (or even small) grassroots constituency. The only “constituency” they represent is that of a few anti-gay folks who have a lot of money. NOM’s reluctance to make their tax returns available publicly is par for the course in their pattern of secrecy and shadowy dealings.
