Clearing The Air

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Smoking ban LOBBYISTS should lose their tax exempt status

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2011/04/ofallon_councilman_smoking_ban_jim_pepper.php

Excerpt:

..one O'Fallon city councilman is crying foul over the effort. He tells Daily RFT that he's strongly considering file a complaint with the IRS over both the American Cancer Society and Tobacco Free St. Louis, charging that the groups should lose their nonprofit status over their donations to Citizens for a Smoke-Free O'Fallon...The IRS holds that any 501(c)3 non-profit organization may devote only an "insubstantial" amount of its resources to lobbying efforts -- with a 20 percent limit for small groups and a sliding scale for larger ones.

Even more significant is that 501(c)3 non-profit organization Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has spent $446+ million funneling money to "non-profits" to lobby for smoking bans so that it does not appear that RWJF is lobbying themselves.

Why would RWJF lobby for smoking bans? RWJF is partner to Johnson & Johnson Company, maker of Nicoderm, Nicorette, Nicotrol, Commit, etc.....they're funding (lobbying) for smoking bans is to increase their personal stock portfolio. RWJF owns millions of shares of Johnson & Johnson stock.....when J & J makes money, RWJF makes money.....and as a 501(c)3, RWJF profits are tax exempt. More here:

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2007/02/smoking-bans-good-public-policy-or.html

And make no mistake, smoking bans increase sales of pharmaceutical nicotine products as proven here:

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2007/12/minnesota-smoking-ban-triples-demand-of.html