Trump administration asks IRS to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status

Source: Washington Post

April 16, 2025 at 5:27 p.m. EDT


The Trump administration has asked the Internal Revenue Service’s top attorney to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, according to three people familiar with the situation, amid President Donald Trump’s row with the institution over its handling of antisemitism and diversity practices.

The directive is a significant escalation of the president’s feud with Ivy League institutions and other nonprofit groups his administration views as “woke,” according to the people, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the topic.

Tax-exempt status is available to charitable, religious and educational organizations, as well as social welfare groups. But the organizations must strictly adhere to tax laws that prohibit them from engaging in certain political activity. There is no proof that Harvard has violated any of those guardrails, experts say.

“The IRS is supposed to administer the tax rules impartially, not pursue political vendettas against exempt organizations,” said Steve Rosenthal, who served as senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center, a Washington-based think tank. A representative from the Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. CNN first reported the Treasury Department’s request.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/04/16/trump-harvard-tax-exempt-irs/