Reforming Nonprofit Exemption Requirements

Abstract

This Article proposes a reform for nonprofit exemption and unrelated business income tax. Current tax law provides unclear guidance and requires exempt organizations to risk their entire exemptions on this guidance, leading them to make the socially inefficient choice to use for-profit subsidiaries to preserve their exemptions. Reforming the tax law will solve this inefficiency while providing exempt nonprofits with the desirable option to undertake efficient nonexempt activities to augment their operating budgets. This reform is particularly important in light of changes to the healthcare field; reform will enable exempt healthcare organizations to offset rising health costs and decreased reimbursements with other revenue opportunities.

Keywords: nonprofit, UBIT, tax, corporate organization

JEL Classification: H21, H25, H40, H41, K34, l30, l31