USA Today reported that lawmakers are working on legislation to strip the International Olympic Committee of its tax-exempt status, according to unnamed people close to the matter.
The proposed legislation responds to IOC’s refusal to challenge China regarding human rights abuses. The United States announced in early December a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Games, with no government officials attending the Games. With her announcement, White House press secretary Jen Psaki cited as reason for the boycott “genocide and crimes against humanity” in Xinjiang , the region of China where the government has taken actions against the Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities that include mass detentions.
In December, IOC president Thomas Bach said the committee will continue its principle of political neutrality in response to the United States’ and other countries’ diplomatic boycotts. He said at the time that taking a side would result in a politicization of the Olympic Games.
The IOC has also been under fire for its relative silence on the disappearance of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai. Bach had two reported video calls with Peng, but other organizations, like the Women’s Tennis Association and International Tennis Federation, have publicly questioned Peng’s ability to speak freely and her safety.
It’s unclear what impact stripping the IOC of its tax-exempt status would have, USA Today reports. Companies based in the United States provide a large portion of the IOC’s revenue, including its $7.75 billion contract with NBC for broadcasting rights to the Games and sponsorships from U.S. companies like Coca-Cola. But since the IOC is based in Switzerland, it is possible for the organization to find loopholes to avoid paying taxes, economists told USA Today.
USA Today wrote its sources were kept anonymous because the legislation hasn’t been introduced yet.
So let’s tax them because of what’s going on to Muslims in China and not because the Olympic Games are usually over paid for by the country and then IOC pockets all the profit. Tax them as reparations of what will most likely happen to the venues after the Olympic