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Official IRS Tax-Exempt Determination Letter
January 31, 2002
Adversity.Net's on-line publication of this letter discharges our legal
responsibility to provide a copy of this letter to any and all members of the public upon
request according to IRS rules. |
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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20224
| Date: Jan. 31, 2002 Adversity.Net, Inc.
802 Argyle Road
Silver Spring, MD 20901-3202 |
Employer
Identification Number:
52-2198481
Issuing Specialist:
Will Chapman ID: 50-12804
Toll Free Customer Service:
877-829-5500
Accounting Period Ending:
December 31
Foundation Status Classification:
509(a)(1) & 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)
Advance Ruling Period Begins:
November 26, 2001
Advance Ruling Period Ends:
December 31, 2005
Form 990 Required:
Yes |
| Dear Applicant:
We have considered your application for recognition of exemption under sections 501(c)(3)
of the Internal Revenue Code.
On December 21, 2000, we issued a proposed ruling, which concluded that you do not qualify
for exemption from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Code. You
protested that ruling, we held a conference on October 4, 2001, and you provided
additional information to conform your operations to comply with section 501(c)(3),
including a representation that you will avoid intervening in political campaigns. |
See Also: |
Therefore, based on the information supplied, and assuming your operations will be as
stated in your application for recognition of exemption, we have determined you are exempt
from federal income tax under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code as an
organization described in section 501(c)(3). This exemption is effective November
26, 2001, the date on which you agreed to conform your operations to comply with section
501(c)(3). This ruling supersedes our ruling dated December 21, 2000.
Because you are a newly created organization, we are not now making a final determination
of your foundation status under section 509(a) of the Code. However, we have
determined that you can reasonably be expected to be a publicly supported organization
described in the section(s) indicated above. Accordingly, you will be treated as a
publicly supported organization, and not as a private foundation, during an advance ruling
period. This advance ruling period begins and ends on the dates indicated above.
Please notify the Ohio Tax Exempt and Government Entities (TE/GE) Customer Service office
if there is any change in your name, address, sources of support, purposes or method of
operation. If you amend your organizational document or bylaws, please send a copy
of the amendment to that office. The mailing address is: Internal Revenue
Service, TE/GE Customer Service, P.O. Box 2508, Cincinnati, OH 45201.
Prior to the end of your advance ruling period, the Ohio TE/GE office will send you a
letter requesting the information needed to determine whether you have met the
requirements of the applicable support test during the advance ruling period. If you
establish that you have been a publicly supported organization, you will be classified as
a section 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2) organization as long as you continue to meet the
requirements of the applicable support test. If you do not meet the public support
requirements during the advance ruling period, you will be treated as a private foundation
from the date of your inception for purposes of sections 507(d) and 4940.
Effective November 26, 2001, donors may deduct contributions to you as provided in section
170 of the Code. Bequests, legacies, devises, transfers, or gifts to you or for your
use are deductible for federal estate and gift tax purposes if they meet the applicable
provisions of Code sections 2055, 2106, and 2522.
Donors (including private foundations) may rely on the advance ruling that you are not a
private foundation until 90 days after your advance ruling period ends. If you
submit the information that will be requested by the Ohio TE/GE office within the 90 days,
donors may continue to rely on the advance ruling until a final determination of your
foundation status is made. However, if notice that you will no longer be treated as
the type of organization indicated above is published in the Internal Revenue Bulletin,
donors may not rely on this advance ruling after the date of such publication. Also,
donors (other than private foundations) may not rely on the classification indicated above
if they were in part responsible for, or were aware of, the act that resulted in your loss
of that classification, or if they acquired knowledge that the Internal Revenue Service
had given notice that you would be removed from that classification. Private
foundations may rely on the classification as long as you were not directly or indirectly
controlled by them or by disqualified persons with respect to them. However, private
foundations may not rely on the classification indicated above if they acquired knowledge
that the Internal Revenue Service had give notice that you would be removed from that
classification.
You are liable for taxes under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (social security
taxes) on remuneration of $100 or more you pay to each of your employees during a calendar
year. You are not liable for the tax imposed under the Federal Unemployment Tax
Act.
If it is determined that you are a private foundation, you will be subject to excise taxes
under Chapter 42 of the Code. You may also be subject to other federal excise taxes.
If you are involved in an excess benefit transaction, that transaction might be
subject to the excise taxes of section 4958. In this letter we are not determining
whether any of your present or proposed arrangements would be considered an excess benefit
transaction resulting in tax under section 4958.
Contribution deductions are allowable to donors only to the extent that their
contributions are gifts, with no consideration received. Ticket purchases and
similar payments in conjunction with fund-raising events may not necessarily qualify as
fully deductible contributions, depending on the circumstances. If your organization
conducts fund-raising events such as benefit dinners, shows, membership drives, etc.,
where something of value is received in return for payments, you are required to provide a
written disclosure statement informing the donor of the fair market value of the specific
items or services being provided. To do this you should, in advance of the event,
determine the fair market value of the benefit received and state it in your fund-raising
materials such as solicitations, tickets, and receipts in such a way that the donor can
determine how much is deductible and how much is not. Your disclosure statement
should be made, at the latest, at the time payment is received. Subject to certain
exceptions, your disclosure responsibility applies to any fund-raising circumstance where
each complete payment, including the contribution portion, exceeds $75. In addition,
donors must have written substantiation from the charity for any charitable contribution
of $250 or more. For further details regarding these substantiation and disclosure
requirements, see the enclosed copy of Publication 1771. For additional guidance in
this area, see Publication 1391, Deductibility of Payments Made to Organizations
Conducting Fund-Raising Events, which is available at many IRS offices or by calling
1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676).
In the heading of this letter we have indicated whether you must file Form 990, Return of
Organization Exempt from Income Tax. If "Yes" is indicated, you are
required to file Form 990 only if your gross receipts each year are normally more than
$25,000. If your gross receipts each year are not normally more than $25,000, we ask
that you establish that you are not required to file Form 990 by completing Part I of that
form for your first year. Thereafter, you will not be required to file a return
until your gross receipts exceed the $25,000 minimum. For guidance in determining if
your gross receipts are "normally" not more than the $25,000 limit, see the
instructions for the Form 990. If a return is required, it must be filed by the 15th
day of the fifth month after the end of your annual accounting period. A penalty of
$20 a day is charged when a return is filed late, unless there is reasonable cause for the
delay. The maximum penalty charged cannot exceed $10,000 or 5 percent of your gross
receipts for the year, whichever is less. For organizations with gross receipts
exceeding $1,000,000 in any year, the penalty is $100 per day per return, unless there is
reasonable cause for the delay. The maximum penalty for an organization with gross
receipts exceeding $1,000,000 shall not exceed $50,000. This penalty may also be
charged if a return is not complete, so please be sure your return is complete before you
file it. Form 990 should be filed with the Ogden Service Center, Ogden, UT
84201-0027.
You are required to make your Form 990 available for public inspection for three years
after the later of the due date of the return or the date the return is filed. You
are also required to make available for public inspection your exemption application, any
supporting documents, and this exemption letter. Copies of these documents must be
provided to any individual upon written or in person request without charge other than
reasonable fees for copying and postage. You may fulfill this requirement by placing
these documents on the Internet. Penalties may be imposed for failure to comply with
these requirements. Additional information is available in Publication 557,
Tax-Exempt Status for Your Organization, or you may call our toll free number shown above.
You are not required to file federal income tax returns unless you are subject to the tax
on unrelated business income under section 511 of the Code. If you are subject to
this tax, you must file an income tax return on Form 990-T, Exempt Organization Business
Income Tax Return. In this letter we are not determining whether any of your present
or proposed activities are unrelated trade or business as defined in section 513 of the
Code.
Please use the employer identification number indicated in the heading of this letter on
all returns you file and in all correspondence with the Internal Revenue Service.
Because this letter could help resolve any questions about your exempt status, you should
keep it in your permanent records. If you have any questions about this letter, or
about filing requirements, excise, employment, or other federal taxes, please contact the
Ohio TE/GE Customer Service office at 877-829-5500 (a toll free number) or correspond with
that office using the address indicated above.
Sincerely,
/s/ Terrell M. Berkovsky
Manager, Exempt Organizations
Technical Group 2
Enclosures:
Form 872-C
Pub. 1771 |