Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Ministry director blames Peters, staff, for not expediting his IRS tax exemption request

Local Congressman Scott Peters has come under fire from Children’s Ministries International, Inc., a group dedicated to “glorify God by training leaders and partnering with His global church to evangelize and disciple boys and girls around the world.” [emphasis in original].

Ministry founder, president, and sole employee Steve Karges says his is “one of the conservative Christian organizations under attack by the Internal Revenue Service.”

Karges says he originally obtained tax-exempt status in 1984, and in 2012 requested a determination letter from the IRS in order to prove its status to a major donor it declines to name. He has been waiting for over a year to receive funds “because the ministry was incorporated before IRS records were stored in databases.”

“I contacted Congressman Peters for help three months ago. We needed him to intervene with the IRS on our behalf, but sadly, nothing was accomplished during that time,” says Karges.

Documents provided to the Reader by Karges indicated that the actual issue was that his organization’s tax-exempt status had been revoked due to his failure for three consecutive years to file IRS reporting forms, which Karges says as a religious organization he was exempt from filing in the first place.

Karges completed a form to reinstate his exemption, receipt of which was acknowledged by the IRS in May. He then made demands both directly to the IRS and through Peters’ office that his case be moved to the front of the processing line. An August 13 letter from the agency declined his request for special treatment.

“We take casework very seriously, do absolutely everything we can to help people, and have achieved great results for the hundreds we've served,” said MaryAnne Pintar, communications director at Peters’ office, who explained that staff was not at liberty to discuss specific constituent issues. “In some cases, however, we are limited in what we can do either by the nature of the problem, or by the willingness of the individual to work within the laws and policies of the agency.”

As of this afternoon (August 28), it appears Karges has found the help he was seeking, stating via e-mail that Daniel Werfel, acting commissioner of the IRS, had agreed to push through his exemption. Werfel’s office was not immediately available for comment.

“My faith is not in the IRS or Congressman Peters,” says Karges. “My faith is based upon the authority and truth of God's Word.”

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

SDSU pres gets highest pay raise in state over last 15 years

Union-Tribune still stiffing downtown San Diego landlord?
Next Article

San Diego's Uptown Planners challenged by renters from Vibrant Uptown

Two La Jolla planning groups fight for predominance

Local Congressman Scott Peters has come under fire from Children’s Ministries International, Inc., a group dedicated to “glorify God by training leaders and partnering with His global church to evangelize and disciple boys and girls around the world.” [emphasis in original].

Ministry founder, president, and sole employee Steve Karges says his is “one of the conservative Christian organizations under attack by the Internal Revenue Service.”

Karges says he originally obtained tax-exempt status in 1984, and in 2012 requested a determination letter from the IRS in order to prove its status to a major donor it declines to name. He has been waiting for over a year to receive funds “because the ministry was incorporated before IRS records were stored in databases.”

“I contacted Congressman Peters for help three months ago. We needed him to intervene with the IRS on our behalf, but sadly, nothing was accomplished during that time,” says Karges.

Documents provided to the Reader by Karges indicated that the actual issue was that his organization’s tax-exempt status had been revoked due to his failure for three consecutive years to file IRS reporting forms, which Karges says as a religious organization he was exempt from filing in the first place.

Karges completed a form to reinstate his exemption, receipt of which was acknowledged by the IRS in May. He then made demands both directly to the IRS and through Peters’ office that his case be moved to the front of the processing line. An August 13 letter from the agency declined his request for special treatment.

“We take casework very seriously, do absolutely everything we can to help people, and have achieved great results for the hundreds we've served,” said MaryAnne Pintar, communications director at Peters’ office, who explained that staff was not at liberty to discuss specific constituent issues. “In some cases, however, we are limited in what we can do either by the nature of the problem, or by the willingness of the individual to work within the laws and policies of the agency.”

As of this afternoon (August 28), it appears Karges has found the help he was seeking, stating via e-mail that Daniel Werfel, acting commissioner of the IRS, had agreed to push through his exemption. Werfel’s office was not immediately available for comment.

“My faith is not in the IRS or Congressman Peters,” says Karges. “My faith is based upon the authority and truth of God's Word.”

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.