On July 23, 2018, Cindy Lewin was quoted in USAE News in an article about how the Treasury Department and the IRS recently announced “tax-exempt” organizations, described by section 501(c), are no longer required to report contact information of their contributors on the Schedule B of their Forms 990 or 990-EZ.
According to the article, the move by the federal agencies has political watchdog groups skeptical about the lack of transparency the new rule creates, but the agencies argue that identity information can be requested by the government when deemed appropriate.
Ms. Lewin told USAE that transparency was really not affected adding she is not sure the measure gives dark money organizations a leg up in remaining in the shadows as the IRS can still request any information it wishes.
Lewin co-authored an article with Larry Norton, which mentioned several states requiring nonprofits to provide a completed, unredacted Form 990 Schedule B showing names and addresses of donors as part of their charitable solicitation registration process. Referencing California and New York, Lewin said it remains to be seen the reaction to the announcement.
Lewin added she did not believe the new policy would save that much time for nonprofits as they still have to record new donor information.