At the same time, the IRS is sending questionnaires to some groups that self-declare their tax-exempt status, seeking more information on their political activity, and it is reviewing tax returns of some exempt groups to make sure they are complying with rules imposing a tax on some of their political activities, tax experts say.
The Sunlight Foundation's John Wonderlich wrote in a blog post that Cispa "is terrible on transparency" and that the shared personal data between firms and the government would be exempt from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
For years, most small tax-exempt organizations were exempt from filing requirements with IRS. This all changed a few years back when The Pension Protection Act of 2006 made it mandatory for tax-exempt organizations to file an annual information return or notice with the IRS regardless of how much (or little) income the organization receives.