After hearing numerous complaints from non-profit organizations upset with the impact the state’s new tax changes will have on them, state Rep. Dennis Keene said today he will pre-file legislation that would exempt non-profits from the legislation’s provisions that will take effect July 1, 2018.
“This law, which was written in secret and passed entirely by the majority on the same day the public first saw it, is filled with numerous unintended consequences, but one of the most glaring is the way it treats our non-profit organizations,” said Rep. Keene, the House Minority Caucus chairman. “If allowed to stand, this change will hurt the most vulnerable citizens who depend on these organizations most; that’s just not right. Are we going to tax things like vacation Bible school next? What we need is a more common-sense tax reform approach that actually takes the public’s concerns into account.”
Dennis Keene
Rep. Keene, whose district runs along the northern border of Campbell County, said the tax changes have proven to be confusing to those operating the non-profits.
“We’re just days away from the law being officially enacted, and we still don’t have all of the answers we need,” he said. “My bill is an easy fix and will clean up a lot of the mess made by those who voted for this new law. If we can’t have proper tax modernization, then the very least we can do is help those whose mission is to make our communities a better place in which to live.”
Media accounts have indicated the law’s reach will include such things as non-profit organization fundraising events and the auction of charity items, as well as admission fees charged for certain camps and other activities.
“We will lose far more than we gain from doing things like this,” Rep. Keene said. “The sooner we can return the law to the way it was for non-profits, the better.”
His legislation will be pre-filed to be considered during the 2019 Regular Session, which starts in January. Representative Keene served as Chairman of the Licensing, & Occupations Regulations Committee in the House of Representatives prior to being elected to House Democratic Caucus Chairman in 2017. A businessman, Keene currently serves on the House Licensing, Occupations & Administrative Banking & Insurance, and Natural Resources & Energy Committees.
