The IRS turned down the Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee’s application for tax exemption status under section 501(c)3 due to their work seeming strikingly similar to political activity. The majority of the $60 million the host committee is responsible for raising for the convention comes from corporations that are only eligible for tax deductions if the committee wins 501(c)3 status. For the committee to win this exemption, they need to show that funds are going toward city infrastructure projects.
Claudia Vargas, Staff Writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer, authored “Turned down by the IRS, Philly’s DNC host committee goes for Plan B.”