The Supreme Court has left standing the dismissal by lower courts of a suit challenging the law cost travel programs operated by Jewish and non-Jewish non-profit organizations. The court refused to review the decision, first by the U.S. District Court in Washington and then by a Court of Appeals there, rejecting the suit which sought to have the organizations lose their tax exempt status.
Will Maslow, general counsel of the American Jewish Congress, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the suit was brought by the American Society of Travel Agents and 12 individual travel agents against the Treasury Department. He said the AJCongress was not involved in the case although the suit mentioned non-profit organizations “like the American Jewish Congress.” Maslow said the AJCongress was probably singled out because it has the largest travel program of any non-profit group.
The case was never tried but was dismissed because of a “lack of legal standing,” Maslow said. He explained that the courts do not usually approve of third party suits involving the Internal Revenue Service. Maslow stressed that the purpose of the AJCongress tour program is in line with its tax exempt status since it seeks to bring American Jews in contact with Jews in other countries. He said the AJCongress would continue its tour program even if it last its tax exempt status. Many other Jewish organizations operate tour programs. (By David Friedman)
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
