It’s GOP platform time
By BERNIE BECKER
07/18/16 10:00 AM EDT
IT’S ON: The Republicans, finally at their convention in Cleveland to nominate real estate magnate Donald Trump, are expected to ratify their platform today.
It shouldn’t surprise many people if the GOP calls for tax reform, in a way that simplifies the code, removes tax breaks and lowers rates. (In fact, taxes are one of the areas where Trump hasn’t strayed as far from traditional Republican thinking.) Reports out of Cleveland last week suggested that Republicans will also call for a tax code so simple that the IRS can be abolished, a la Sen. Ted Cruz’s plan during the primaries.
But this one is sort of new: Time and other news outlets are reporting that Trump told Jerry Falwell Jr. that the platform will seek to allow churches and other tax-exempt groups to organize politically. To do so, Republicans would have to overturn the so-called “Johnson Amendment,” put into place in 1954 to prevent churches from endorsing candidates.
Churches are frequently organized under the 501(c)(3) of the tax code — which allows donations to be tax-exempt and for religious institutions to avoid taxes on their income, but also includes a ban on direct and indirect interventions into elections. But some religious advocates say the current set-up also censors religious leaders, while others believe allowing churches to dabble in politics could corrupt their missions.
“After 30 years of the so-called conservative leaders who have been elected by evangelicals, none of them thought to advocate for the repeal of the Johnson amendment, giving evangelical leaders political free speech,” said Falwell, the president of Liberty University and son of the school’s founder. “He thinks it is going to be a revolution in the Christian world." http://ti.me/29AdSec
WELL, THIS WEEK SHOULD BE FUN. Today’s first day of the GOP convention is also the 48th birthday for Intel — proud members of the RATE Coalition and American Innovation Matters, which has been pushing for international tax reform.
Let us know what’s happening.
Email: bbecker@politico.com, teckert@politico.com, bfaler@politico.com, kodonnell@politico.com.
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