Grassley turns eye to non-profits

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Ioawa), ranking Finance member and a long time advocate for scrutinizing non-profit organizations, looks to return his attention to making sure tax-exempt entities provide added value and earn their tax status, sources told The Hill.

In comments yesterday, the senator highlighted the Illinois Supreme Court ruling that said Provena Covenant Medical Center failed to provide adequate charity care to qualify for state property tax exemption and said the ruling underscores that "there is often no discernible difference between the operations of taxable and tax-exempt hospitals. Tax-exempt hospitals should give more attention to their charitable activities."

Grassley has asked the Joint Committee on Taxation for revenue estimates on rescinding the tax-exempt status for certain operations. The task is daunting and it is unclear when results will be completed.