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​​​​​​​The True Story of Nonprofits and Taxes

Did you know that certain nonprofits can legally opt out of paying state unemployment taxes? Do you understand who is benefiting from this tax exemption law? In this article, Jon Pratt, Executive Director at Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, discusses the benefits of nonprofit tax exemption and recent tax activity statistics.

It is important to understand that a tax-exempt status only exempts a nonprofit from paying tax on income that is generated from activities that are specifically related to the purpose for which the group was created. Nonprofits are not alone in benefiting from this exemption—by allowing more dollars to funnel back into the very missions that started nonprofit organizations—communities worldwide are reaping the benefits of endless services being offered by these 501(c)(3) organizations.

Jon Pratt explains, “Even though nonprofits are sometimes considered to be an essentially “tax-free” sector of the economy, they clearly have deep involvement on both sides of the ledger: as a tax expenditure, in the sense of forgone revenue, and as taxpayers and tax collectors, making substantial contributions to government revenues through tax collection from nonprofit employees and activities.”

To learn more about the national value of charitable nonprofit benefits and obligations, read the full article here.

Article provided by Jon Pratt, Executive Director at Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Co-Director of GrantAdvisor and UST board member

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