The Internal Revenue Service inappropriately flagged conservative political groups for additional reviews during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status, a top IRS official said Friday. Organizations were singled out because they included the words "tea party" or "patriot" in their applications for tax-exempt status, said Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups. In some cases, groups were asked for their list of donors, which violates IRS policy in most cases, she said. "That was wrong. That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive and it was inappropriate. That's not how we go about selecting cases for further review," Lerner said at a conference sponsored by the American Bar Association. "The IRS would like to apologize for that," she added. Lerner said the practice was initiated by low-level workers in Cincinnati and was not motivated by political bias. [AP]
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Young Buck Not Satisfied with Keeping Personal Possessions, Suing IRS
If you’re like us, you were crushed by the news of the IRS canceling the auction of Young Buck’s treasures. Whether it was the ‘marijuana leaf picture‘ or the Titans Fridge, the auction really had a lot to offer and it’s a shame – a damn shame – that Mr. Buck’s attorney put a stop to it.
But having your home raided by IRS Agents wielding shotguns (our vision) is enough to get the most passive citizen upset. So if you’re Young Buck, simply getting to keep your material possessions won’t suffice:
Officials said Young Buck is suing the IRS over the raid, saying the government’s response to his tax problems has hurt his ability to make money and pay off his debts.
Got it? The IRS kicked down the doors, made off with all the man’s goods and now his records won’t sell. It has nothing to do with his music sucking.
The IRS May Want to Stock Up on Shotguns
The IRS is not the most popular government agency. This is not news. What is a developing problem is more and more people feel that reacting to the Service through with violence is somehow an acceptable option. Can we expect another lunatic to fly a plane into a building? Hard to say. But Joe Kristan did warn us about this.
And now the Treasury Inspector General has informed Tim Geithner that this will be one of the “challenges” the Service can expect in the new year:
In addition to safeguarding a vast amount of sensitive financial and personal data, the IRS must also protect approximately 100,000 employees and more than 700 facilities throughout the country. Attacks and threats against IRS employees and facilities have risen steadily in recent years.
The February 2010 attack on an IRS facility in Austin, Texas, is a stark reminder of the dangers that IRS employees face every day in trying to perform their jobs. Animosity towards the tax collection process is nothing new, but the Austin incident and other recent events point to a surge of hostility towards the Federal Government. According to the Anti-Defamation League, the militia movement has almost quadrupled in size in the past two years, growing to more than 200 groups across the country. The Southern Poverty Law Center has reported that anti-government and hate groups have grown from 149 groups in 2008 to 512 groups in 2009, a 244 percent increase. The ongoing public debate regarding the recently enacted health care legislation may also lead to increased threats against IRS employees and facilities, underscoring the need for continuing vigilance in the area of physical security.
It’s good to know that our country is filled with so many level-headed folks that creating hate groups has become a relatively popular thing to do.
Good Luck Teleworking If You Still Work at the IRS
It looks like IRS employees hoping to be granted a telework exemption due to temporary […]