- 10 - there is no doubt that petitioner is a bona fide museum that furthers educational purposes. II. Private Benefit Factors We now turn our attention to the specific factors cited by respondent as the basis for her final adverse determination. A. Petitioner’s Payment of Rent to the University Respondent contends that petitioner’s payment of rent to the University confers on the University an impermissible private benefit. Respondent states: This [fundraising by the museum] will result in direct economic benefit to Bob Jones University because tax-deductible contributions made to Petitioner will be used to reimburse Bob Jones University for rental of the building on the University campus where the art collection is housed. This will relieve Bob Jones University of the cost of operating the museum itself, and will allow Bob Jones University to have the benefit of the museum on its campus financed by tax-deductible contributions. The principal inquiry in determining whether rental arrangements create private benefit or inurement is whether the rental payments are excessive. See B.H.W. Anesthesia Found. v. Commissioner, 72 T.C. 681, 686 (1979) (focusing on “whether comparable services would cost as much if obtained from an outside source in an arm’s-length transaction”). In the present case, petitioner is to pay the University $105,600 per year, which is substantially less than the Building's fair market value. Respondent contends that payments for less than fair market value can create private inurement. For support,Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011