‘Church’ and state

Charity: Religious nonprofit organizations are required to share their tax returns | Rusty Leonard, Warren Smith

Creflo Dollar

Some 750,000 religious nonprofit organizations in America are required by law to share their Form 990 tax returns with anyone who asks to see them. Form 990s reveal income, and also information such as the compensation of key executives.

But what if you don't want people—including Sen. Charles Grassley of the Senate Finance Committee—to see your tax returns? No problem. Just call yourself a church.

Grassley last year requested financial data from six religious nonprofits known for having big non-church businesses. All six call themselves churches, although only three hold Sunday services. The due date was Dec. 6, but a month later only two of the six had complied with Grassley's request (see below). One of the televangelists—Creflo Dollar of Atlanta-based World Changers Church International—went on Larry King Live and dared Grassley to get a subpoena or turn the matter over to the Internal Revenue Service.