The Boy Scouts of America, Irving, TX, is suing the U.S. Postal Service for allegedly overcharging it for the mailing costs of its catalog.
The suit, filed in federal court in Chicago, claims the scouts were charged an extra $218,000 because the USPS decided such items as mugs and key chains are not sufficiently close to the BSA’s educational purposes, for which the Internal Revenue Service has granted it tax-exempt status.
The annual catalog had been mailed out for “years and years” without question, according to a Boy Scouts spokesperson. But in 1998, the USPS denied the catalog its not-for-profit status, pointing out the items it considered to be unrelated to the BSA’s program.
The Boy Scouts made the recommended revisions, but were denied nonprofit status again. After a second set of revisions was rejected, the BSA mailed the catalog with first class postage, and appealed the decision. When the USPS turned down the appeal, the Boy Scouts filed suit.
The use of the BSA’s fleur-de-lis emblem on such products as mugs and pens seemed to be the focus of the USPS’ objections. Yet, the Boy Scouts pointed out in their appeal that such institutions as the Museum of Modern Art and the Wildlife Fund offer products with their logos and still maintain their status as not-for-profit organizations.
The USPS did not return DIRECT Newsline’s calls by deadline.
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