I recently had a conversation about “nonprofit” organizations. Part of the discussion involved “tax-exempt” status for the “nonprofits.”

After doing a small amount of research on the Internet, I came up with many questions:

• Why are there tens of thousands of nonprofit organizations?

• Where do they get their money?

• Where do they spend their money?

• How much of their money goes to salaries and expenses for their managers?

• How much of their money goes to help truly needy people or groups?

• Why does an entity like the National Football League, with a commissioner with a $44 million annual salary, need tax-exempt status?

• Why does the Professional Golf Association (an entity that generates millionaires at an amazing rate!) need to be a nonprofit organization?

• Are there salary and/or expense limits on management and support people in nonprofit organizations?

With our national debt increasing at warp speed, somebody should take a look at the laws and regulations governing nonprofits and tax-exempt groups.

Any political party, candidate, PAC or similar entity receiving contributions should not be granted “tax-exempt” or “nonprofit” status.

They are a “business” attempting to buy elections (investment) and “profit” from the influence bought by that investment. Contributions are their income, and income tax laws should apply to those entities.

Charles S. Copp

Westbrook