Sec. 1.276-1 Disallowance of deductions for certain indirect contributions to political parties.

(i) Except as provided in subparagraph (2) of this paragraph, no deduction shall be allowed for an expenditure for advertising in a convention program of a political party. For purposes of this subparagraph it is immaterial who publishes the convention program or to whose use the proceeds of the program inure (or are intended to inure). A convention program is any written publication (as defined in paragraph (c) of this section) which is distributed or displayed in connection with or at a political convention, conclave, or meeting. Under certain conditions payments to a committee organized for the purpose of bringing a political convention to an area are deductible under paragraph (b) of section 1.162-15. This rule is not affected by the provisions of this section. For example, such payments may be deductible notwithstanding the fact that the committee purchases from a political party the right to publish a pamphlet in connection with a convention and that the deduction of costs of advertising in the pamphlet is prohibited under this section.

(ii) The application of the provisions of this subparagraph may be illustrated by the following example:

(i) Subject to the limitations in subdivision (ii) of this subparagraph, a deduction may be allowed for any amount paid or incurred on or after January 1, 1968, for advertising in a convention program of a political party distributed in connection with a convention held for the purpose of nominating candidates for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States, if the proceeds from the program are actually used solely to defray the costs of conducting the convention (or are set aside for such use at the next convention of the party held for such purpose) and if the amount paid or incurred for the advertising is reasonable. If such amount is not reasonable or if any part of the proceeds is used for a purpose other than that of defraying such convention costs, no part of the amount is deductible. Whether or not an amount is reasonable shall be determined in light of the business the taxpayer may expect to receive either directly as a result of the advertising or as a result of the convention being held in an area in which the taxpayer has a principal place of business. For these purposes, an amount paid or incurred for advertising will not be considered as reasonable if it is greater than the amount which would be paid for comparable advertising in a comparable convention program of a nonpolitical organization. Institutional advertising (e.g., advertising of a type not designed to sell specific goods or services to persons attending the convention) is not advertising which may be expected to result directly in business for the taxpayer sufficient to make the expenditures reasonable. Accordingly, an amount spent for institutional advertising in a convention program may be deductible only if the taxpayer has a principal place of business in the area where the convention is held. An official statement made by a political party after a convention as to the use made of the proceeds from its convention program shall constitute prima facie evidence of such use.

(ii) No deduction may be taken for any amount described in this subparagraph which is not otherwise allowable as a deduction under section 162, relating to trade or business expenses. Therefore, in order for any such amount to be deductible, it must first satisfy the requirements of section 162, and, in addition, it must also satisfy the more restrictive requirements of this subparagraph.

Example. An inaugural reception for A, a prominent member of Y party who has been recently elected judge of the municipal court of F city, is held with the proceeds going to the city treasury. The price of admission to such affair is not deductible.

(i) In general.

Subject to the special rules presented in subdivision (iii) of this subparagraph (relating to a political candidate), proceeds directly or indirectly inure to or for the use of a political party or a political candidate (a) if the party or candidate may order the disposition of any part of such proceeds, regardless of what use is actually made thereof, or (b) if any part of such proceeds is utilized by any person for the benefit of the party or candidate. These conditions are equally applicable in determining whether the proceeds are intended to inure. Accordingly, it is immaterial whether the event or publication operates at a loss if, had there been a profit, any part of the proceeds would have inured to or for the use of a political party or a political candidate. Moreover, it shall be presumed that where a dinner, program, or publication is sponsored by or identified with a political party or political candidate, the proceeds of such dinner, program, or publication directly or indirectly inure (or are intended to inure) to or for the use of the party or candidate. On the other hand, proceeds are not considered to directly or indirectly inure to the benefit of a political party or political candidate if the benefit derived is so remote as to be negligible or merely a coincidence of the relationship of a political candidate to a trade or business profiting from an expenditure of funds. For example, the proceeds of expenditures made by a taxpayer in the ordinary course of his trade or business for advertising in a publication, such as a newspaper or magazine, are not considered as inuring to the benefit of a political party or political candidate merely because the publication endorses a particular political candidate or candidates of a particular political party, the publisher independently contributes to the support of a political party or candidate out of his own personal funds, or the principal stockholder of the publishing firm is a candidate for public office.

(ii) Proceeds to political party.

If a political party may order the disposition of any part of the proceeds of a publication or event described in paragraph (c) or (d) of this section, such proceeds inure to the use of the party regardless of what the proceeds are to be used for or that their use is restricted to a particular purpose unrelated to the election of specific candidates for public office. Accordingly, where a political party holds a dinner for the purpose of raising funds to be used in a voter registration drive, voter education program, or nonprofit political research program, partisan or nonpartisan, the proceeds are considered to directly or indirectly inure to or for the use of the political party. Proceeds may inure to or for the use of a political party even though they are to be used for purposes which may not be directly related to any particular election (such as to pay office rent for its permanent quarters, salaries to permanent employees, or utilities charges, or to pay the cost of an event such as a dinner or program as defined in paragraph (d) of this section).

(iii) Proceeds to political candidate.

Proceeds directly or indirectly inure (or are intended to inure) to or for the use of a political candidate if, in addition to meeting the conditions described in subdivision (i) of this subparagraph, (a) some part of the proceeds is or may be used directly or indirectly for the purpose of furthering his candidacy for selection, nomination, or election to any elective public office, and (b) they are not received by him in the ordinary course of a trade or business (other than the trade or business of holding public office). Proceeds may so inure whether or not the expenditure sought to be deducted was paid or incurred before the commencement of political activities with respect to the selection, nomination, or election referred to in (a) of this subdivision, or after such selection, nomination, or election has been made or has taken place. For example, proceeds of an event which may be used by an individual who, under the facts and circumstances at the time of the event, the persons making expenditures in connection therewith generally believe will in the reasonably foreseeable future run for a public office, and which may be used in furtherance of such individual's candidacy, generally will be deemed to inure (or to be intended to inure) to or for the use of a political candidate for the purpose of furthering such individual's candidacy. Or, as another example, proceeds of an event occurring after an election, which may be used by a candidate in that election to repay loans incurred in directly or indirectly furthering his candidacy, or in reimbursement of expenses incurred in directly or indirectly furthering his candidacy, will be deemed to directly or indirectly inure (or to be intended to inure) to or for the use of a political candidate for the purpose of furthering his candidacy. For purposes of this subdivision, if the proceeds received by a candidate exceed substantially the fair market value of the goods furnished or services rendered by him, the proceeds are not received by the candidate in the ordinary course of his trade or business.

(iv) The application of the provisions of this subparagraph may be illustrated by the following examples: