This is outrageous!
(Loop) hole in one: 33 elite, private golf clubs do not pay federal taxes
11:35 PM, Jun 23, 2012
They cater to the elite, pay their select employees up to half-a-million dollars a year and collect millions each year from their members, but these bastions of wealth in Westchester and beyond pay no federal taxes on their income.
A Journal News analysis of tax records found that 33 private golf and country clubs in Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties — including some of the most storied, such as Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck — are organized as tax-exempt nonprofits and thus pay no federal income taxes.
Private golf and country clubs have the option of organizing as 501(c)(7)s, which are similar to their nonprofit cousins, 501(c)(3)s, but the country clubs are not charities and cannot accept tax-exempt donations.
Geoffrey Smith, a White Plains attorney who works with nonprofits, said the federal government is giving a tax exemption to a population of people that really doesn’t need it.
“Any elitist group that’s gained an exemption without giving back to the community I would say is not entitled to one,” he said. “They’re getting a personal benefit.”
There’s an increasing movement to privatize society, and private golf clubs are a form of class discrimination, said Smith, board secretary for the WESPAC Foundation, a liberal group that promotes peace and justice. “They don’t want to be with us or play golf with us. They want their own club,” he said.
All but a few of the institutions are private-equity clubs, meaning they are owned by members. Others are owned by corporations, such as Westchester Hills Golf Club in White Plains.
Access typically requires sponsorship by a current member and references, in addition to money for annual dues and assessments for capital improvements. It’s common for clubs in lower Westchester County to have members from New York City.
A Journal News analysis of documents filed with the IRS found that golf and country clubs in the Lower Hudson Valley collect millions of dollars a year in tax-exempt membership dues and initiation fees, with the Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale topping the list at $7.31 million for 2010. The remainder of the 71 clubs in Westchester, Putnam and Rockland are either public golf courses, semi-private or private, such as Trump National in Briarcliff Manor, and don’t qualify as tax-exempt nonprofits. The clubs range from golf-only operations to full-service country clubs with pools, tennis courts and other amenities.
MUCH more:
http://www.lohud.com/article/20120624/NEWS/306240057/-Loop-hole-one-33-elite-private-golf-clubs-do-not-pay-federal-taxes
DO SOMETHING!
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