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June 24, 2009

IRS Official Stresses Agency's Role in Governance Matters

The new top charity regulator at the Internal Revenue Service has made clear she will continue the tax agency’s efforts to promote good governance by charities.

Sarah Hall Ingram, in remarks to a conference in Washington, said that the IRS has a “clear, unambiguous role to play” in governance matters.

“Some have argued that we do not need to be involved, because we can count on the states to do their job and the sector to stay on the path of self-regulation,” said Ms. Ingram.

“While both state regulation and sector self-regulation are important, and I welcome and respect them, they do not get the IRS off the hook,” she said. “Congress gave us a job to do, and we cannot delegate to others our obligation to enforce the conditions of federal tax exemption.”

She added: “The federal tax law must be applied consistently across the country, and we will use both our education and outreach programs and a meaningful enforcement presence to accomplish this.”

Ms. Ingram spoke at a meeting on “Issues in Nonprofit Governance” that was co-sponsored by the IRS, Georgetown University Law Center’s Continuing Legal Education Program, and Independent Sector, a national coalition of charities and foundations.

— Grant Williams

Wednesday June 24, 2009 | Permalink

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