 |
|
Articles
Home
Copeland's Eagle Mountain International Church Takes Unprecedented Step in a Good Faith Effort to Respond to Senator Grassley
April 9, 2008
Eagle Mountain International Church/Kenneth Copeland Ministries
(KCM) took the unprecedented and historic step of requesting
the IRS to undertake an inquiry of the Church. On Monday,
April 7th John Copeland the CEO of the Church and KCM,
personally delivered a letter to the IRS offices in downtown
Dallas.
John Copeland explained to reporters, "We told the
IRS in a letter that we welcome them to come and make inquiry
of us and we will provide answers to the IRS regarding
questions that Senator Grassley has. The Church desires
to protect its and all other churches' 1st Amendment rights,
and by this action, we believe we are doing just that."
For
more than 40 years the Church/KCM has operated with integrity
and in compliance with the tax laws and government regulations.
KCM has no problem with giving the government the information
Senator Grassley has requested, so long as the Church's
constitutional rights are respected. It has always been
KCM's position
that there is a process already in place for the government, through the IRS,
to obtain the information Senator Grassley has requested.
The IRS is the appropriate
agency to receive this information, subject to processes
and procedures set out in the federal tax laws that apply all churches and to
all private taxpayer information. By following these processes and procedures,
which Senator Grassley himself helped write, the Church's rights will be protected,
but the Senator will still be able to obtain all the information he is demanding
by requesting it from the IRS after it has concluded a church tax inquiry.
If
the Church is not given the protections from disclosure afforded by the federal
tax laws, the Church is concerned that private church documents and information
produced to Senator Grassley could be used in a manner that interferes with the
Church's religious freedoms. The Church believes that the Senator's demands are
inconsistent with longstanding principles that require the separation of Church
and State, as well as Supreme Court rulings that hold that the government may
not inquire into the very nature of a church's religious beliefs and practices.
Back to Top |
|
|
