Tax Profs Say IRS Is Unlikely To Pursue Whistleblower's Claim That Mormon Church Stockpiled $100 Billion In Charitable Donations And Dodged Taxes

Washington Post, Mormon Church Has Misled Members on $100 Billion Tax-Exempt Investment Fund, Whistleblower Alleges:

A former investment manager alleges in a whistleblower complaint to the Internal Revenue Service that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has amassed about $100 billion in accounts intended for charitable purposes, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by The Washington Post.

The confidential document, received by the IRS on Nov. 21, accuses church leaders of misleading members — and possibly breaching federal tax rules — by stockpiling their surplus donations instead of using them for charitable works. It also accuses church leaders of using the tax-exempt donations to prop up a pair of businesses. ...

The complaint was filed by David A. Nielsen, a 41-year-old Mormon who worked until September as a senior portfolio manager at the church’s investment division, a company named Ensign Peak Advisors that is based near the church’s headquarters.

Nonprofit organizations, including religious groups, are exempted in the United States from paying taxes on their income. Ensign is registered with authorities as a supporting organization and integrated auxiliary of the Mormon Church. This permits it to operate as a nonprofit and to make money largely free from U.S. taxes. ...

The church typically collects about $7 billion each year in contributions from members, according to the complaint. Mormons, like members of some other faith groups, are asked to contribute 10 percent of their income to the church, a practice known as tithing.

While about $6 billion of that income is used to cover annual operating costs, the remaining $1 billion or so is transferred to Ensign, which plows some into an investment portfolio to generate returns, according to the complaint.

Based on internal accounting documents from February 2018, the complaint estimates the portfolio has grown in value from $12 billion in 1997, when Ensign was formed, to about $100 billion today. 

• Sam Brunson (Loyola-Chicago), Some Thoughts About Ensign Peak Advisers and the Church
• Peter J. Reilly (Forbes), $100 Billion In Mormon Till Does Not Merit IRS Attention
• Peter J. Reilly (Forbes), More On The Mormon Ensigngate
• Salt Lake Tribune, Whistleblower Claims That LDS Church Stockpiled $100 Billion in Charitable Donations, Dodged Taxes
• Salt Lake Tribune, LDS Church Fund Unlikely to Face IRS Backlash, Experts Say