The IRS plans to have Christian non-profits take down the Social Security numbers of donors who give $250 or more in one year, which will put thousands of philanthropists at risk of identity theft and associated complications, experts say.
Cleta Mitchell, lawyer and member of American Bar Association, said a major challenge faced by the churches, if this proposal goes through, is that their donors will be vulnerable to misuse of their personal information.
"I think about every little church, every charity that anybody gives money to," Mitchell told Newsmax in an interview. "How does any donor know whether a charity is going to be able to protect that information?"
A similar regulation was proposed in 2009, but was dismissed after Government of Accountability
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You'd see a lot of $249.99 contributions to every charitable organization in America," she said.
Peter Roskam (Rep. - IL) said that even the for-profit organizations have moved from asking for customers' full SSN to only last-four digits to protect their identity.
"When the whole rest of the world from a technological view is moving away from using Social Security numbers, the IRS is moving toward them," he told the Fox News. "I think we ought not go that route right now."
"Charities are not well equipped to deal with this," he continued. "We've had for-profit companies -- some of the biggest companies in the world -- that have spent millions and millions and millions of dollars trying to protect their confidential data. And it's been hacked and it's been breached."
This question was also raised by Mitchell.
"Think of how expensive it would be for every church, every charity to try to come up with some way to protect these Social Security numbers. All anybody has to have for identity theft is my name, Social Security number, and date of birth."
"That's it. They don't even necessarily have to have my date of
This paper explores the characteristics of traditional and Roth IRAs, as well as the similarities and differences between both. The main characteristic of both IRAs is that both are considered tax shelters—a way for individuals to receive reduced tax liability by decreasing one’s taxable income. Traditional IRA’s are called “deductible” because contributions made with earned income, up to specified limits, are fully or partially deductible from income depending upon factors such as adjusted gross income and filing status. Upon withdrawal, the money is then taxed as ordinary income. Roth IRAs are the antithesis—the money that you contribute here is already taxed at your marginal tax rate and the withdrawals are generally not taxed. Only money that is considered investment income is taxed. Because of the income limits of Roth IRAs, some individuals choose first to contribute to traditional IRAs or employer-sponsored programs and subsequently convert to a Roth IRA. For younger individuals with lower incomes, Roth IRAs seem to be the better choice based on the below research. The money is taxed at a lower rate and then contributed. As one ages, tax rates are probable to rise and the cost of contributing increases as a result. Saving in full measure, below the legal limit and beginning this process at a young age seems the best option for a enjoyable retirement in years to come.
O’Neill would counter this attack by stating that few people would be willing to donate such an extortionate percentage of their revenue to individuals they have never even met. It is not always in people’s own best convenience to donate such a large amount of money if those closest to us need it just the same or if an unlikely event would call for them to need it even
Being identified as a nonprofit, doesn’t necessarily mean it will be a charitable organization. Though the term has been applied to most nonprofit organizations, the fact is most nonprofits is structured using the economic model. The economic model is based on the traditional model of management designed to deal with the complexity of managing an organization (Bradshaw & Hayday, 2007, p. 4). This model acquires funding from multiple sources such as; individuals, government grants, corporations, and foundations. Though an nonprofit organizations may be identified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as tax-exempt, it may use the same economic model and framework as a for-profit organization. According to Brainard & Siplon, (2004), the nonprofit economic model often mimics that of the private sector by using organized professionals to help determine the goals and vision of the organization (p. 439). It is widely believed that most nonprofits use the economic model along with an aggressive...
In William Safire’s “The Threat of National ID”, he argues against a National ID card. Safire published an article in the New York Times to establish different context. Safire gives details about the use of National ID card at different places in different situations. He emphasizes that many Americans are willing to give up personal privacy in return for greater safety, but none of us have privacy regarding where we go and what we do all the time. Safire disputes that mandatory National ID become necessary for people to prevent fear of terror attack.
about giving up my social security number at school, at work or anywhere else I'm asked
The quote is essential because the FBI’s drones are capable of peering in on your daily life without you noticing. This is both eerie and worrying, because this negates a person’s privacy. As long as there are not regulations they cannot be
Although codes of ethics encourage better practice, higher standards, and attempt to hold NGOs and nonprofit organizations accountable, they do not include incentives or consequences (Sidel, 2005). However, they do include suggestions and most importantly resources. For example, the National Council of Nonprofits, Ethical Fundraising includes resources for how to handle gifts appropriately, suggestions for transparency, how to decline conditional gifts appropriately, and more. Since one of the largest issues in NGOs and nonprofit organizations includes funding and expenditures, finances are the main focus for codes of ethics. Therefore, one of the key tools for gaining trust and accountability in NGOs and nonprofit organizations is be transparency. The National Council of Nonprofits
Nonprofit organizations are usually assumed to carry out their interactions with donors, employees, clients and other partners in an ethical manner, primarily because not-for-profit organizations are seen as serving altruistic purposes (Ingram, n.d.). True altruism focuses on an ethical behavior that results in doing good to people without expecting anything in return. Thus, leaders in non-profits are expected to make decisions that result in the benefit of their clients, rather than themselves. Unfortunately, nonprofits have recently come under a lot of scrutiny because of historical lapses in carrying out the decision-making process in an ethical manner. Non-profit leaders are usually tempted to carry out decisions in the same way as their
...ompanies’ databases without our awareness—much less our approval—the more deeply the Net is woven into our lives the more exposed we become. In order to stop online tracking, we have to take personal responsibility for the information we share and modify our privacy settings. We have to get bills and regulations passed by congress so laws can be made to limit corporations from tracking and sharing our personal formation and discipline and take action upon any corporation that does not abide by the rules.
The rapid growth in technology has been impressive over the past 20 years from television graphics and multi-purpose phones to world-wide connections. Unfortunately, the government is having trouble with this growth to protect the people from having their privacy violated due to the information being stored electronically. In “The Anonymity Experiment”, by Catherine Price, states how easily a person can be track and how personal can be lost. Also, in “Social Security and ID theft”, by Felipe Sorrells, states how social security numbers and personal identities can be stolen and how the government is trying to stop that theft. They both intertwine with technology and privacy though Price's article has a broad overview of that, while Sorrells's focus is mainly on social security number and identity thief part. Price and Sorrells shows that companies are taking too much advantage from the customer, the government, even though their trying, needs to start helping the people protect their privacy, and a balance between the amount of trust people should have giving out their sensitive records to which information is protected.
"We put those payroll contributions there so as to give the contributors a legal, moral, and political right to collect their pensions and unemployment benefits. With those taxes in there, no damn politician can ever scrap my social security program.”
Card-Carrying Americans: Privacy, Security and the National ID Card Debate by Joseph W. Eaton Congress to weigh privacy vs. security
According to Justice.gov, a government website that is headed by the justice department of the United States, there are many ways that a thief can steal your identity. For instance, “In public places, for example, criminals may engage in "shoulder surfing"– watching you from a nearby location as you punch in your telephone calling card number or credit card number”. This demonstrates how easy it is for a thief to obtain your identity. They also mention how a thief can use the stolen data. The text states, “With enough identifying information about an individual, a criminal can take over that individual's identity to conduct a wide range of crimes. For example, false applications for loans and credit cards, fraudulent withdrawals from bank accounts, fraudulent use of telephone calling cards or online accounts, or obtaining other goods or privileges which the criminal might be denied if he were to use their real name” (“What are identity Theft and Identity Fraud?”). When a thief does one of these things, the damage to your personal credit could be catastrophic. According to the Internal Revenue Service, the government agency responsible for collecting taxes, in April of 2017, a woman named Melissa Hayes deposited fraudulent tax refund checks that totaled to over $160,000. She was sentenced to 27 months in prison for her actions. Also in April of 2017, a man
Fraud in charitable organizations occurs when legitimate organizations or the individuals working for the organization misuse donations, or when illegitimate organizations or individuals collect donations on behalf of a sham organization. Perpetrators of charity fraud prey on the generosity of their donors through a variety of means. Some individuals may try to get the attention of a passerby on the street requesting cash for the hungry or disabled while others may use telemarketing scams in which the perpetrator tries to convince the potential donor of their legitimacy and the immediacy of financial need for a worthy cause. Yet, the most u...
Web. 16 Feb. 2010. Kevin, McCoy. "More givers go online to donate." USA Today n.d.: