Tax Credits and Form 990

No, I do not understand. But I don't have to.

By Lisa Hayes-Minney
(Editor’s Note: Links are included to source materials and further details.)

Making sense of that which I will never understand. (AI generated)

I willingly admit I do not know everything. I’m a right-brained creative whose brain does not absorb numbers, but immediately repels them back into the ether they came from. I cannot wrap my brain around things like tax credits, long tax forms, shell corporations, net assets, supporting organizations, or tax codes.

People like me are why accountants and lawyers exist.

But, according to some, this makes me an idiot. So, I’ve been taking a small unofficial poll. Do YOU understand complicated deed work, tax credits, and IRS Form 990 (2021 990 and 2022 990)? It makes me feel better to know I’m not the only village idiot.

But, as a private citizen, I don’t have to understand deeds or non-profit tax forms. But, they both are a matter of public record, so I still have the right to access them. With access, I can then, if I wish, take these documents to someone who has the brain and the patience to help me understand.

And, if you’re an “idiot” like me, so can you.

And that’s the point. We don’t have to understand, but we do have to have access.

I do not doubt that others out there, once they have access to such documents, can make more sense of it than I can. In fact, I’m not going to even try (nor do I have to). Now that they are available, that’s all that matters to me.

Perhaps, someone out there will take the time and energy to help me wrap my brain around it all. I know there are math-brain folks in the community who wanted copies, tried to attain copies, got berated and attacked for those attempts, and now, after such a fuss, finally have them.

Yes, I contributed to the fuss. No, it shouldn’t have been necessary.

But now, that mission has been accomplished. A battle that should never have existed has been won.