IRS looking at churches

Interesting NYT article today:

I.R.S. Eyes Religious Groups as More Enter Election Fray

Of particular note:

“We became concerned in the 2004 election cycle that we were seeing more political activity among charities, including churches,” said Lois G. Lerner, the director for exempt organizations at the I.R.S. “In fact, of the organizations we looked at, we saw a very high percentage of some improper political activity, and that is really why we have ramped up the program in 2006.”

Churches are public charities, and for years have, to many, received a certain degree of a free pass from the IRS. After the release of Pub 1828 (PDF) and the PACI report (PDF) in February, the tide seems to be turning. It will be interesting to see how many religious organizations are the subject of audits for this election year. I have seen a lot of rather well-designed "how to avoid problems in your election-related activities" guides from left and right. It seems with the new attention, the faith-based community is also educating itself on the rules... which I chalk up as a good thing.