More than one million organizations are approved for tax-exempt status
mainly because of their charitable and educational, social welfare, or
member benefit purposes. The Internal Revenue Code allows exemption
under 25 categories, including charities, labor unions, social clubs,
and credit unions. Some, particularly larger tax-exempt groups, have
relied upon service fees and businesslike activities to finance their
operations. In 1950, the unrelated business income tax was introduced
to address what was seen as competition between tax-exempt organizations
and taxable businesses. This testimony discusses the activities of
tax-exempt organizations, the revenue resulting from these activities,
and the extent to which the revenue may be subject to the unrelated
business income tax. GAO focuses on the activities of charitable and
educational organizations and social welfare organizations.