We managed to get through tax season without any bomb/white powder/crazy man in a plane incidents at IRS locations (that we know of). That's the good news. The bad news is that anti-IRS forces never rest. Why? Because crazy never rests. Yesterday, the Service's Fresno location fell prey to a "white powder scare," which has become an all-too-common method of bringing out the hazmats. It's been reported that the "caustic substance" found in the envelope was "capable of causing burns and skin irritation," but luckily no one was hurt. What's most interesting about this particular report from this Fox affiliate is the mentioning of past threats to the IRS' Fresno location:
Last February, employees opened a package in the downtown mailroom to find a box full of poop.
Since this event is well over a year old, details about the poop in question are not immediately known, but the elevation of tactics from feces use to some sort of Ajax-like substance should not be taken lightly.
[via KMPH]
The head of the IRS said Thursday that a government shutdown during tax season would be a challenge the agency has never confronted before — and one that would become more complicated as the April filing deadline draws closer. Doug Shulman, the IRS commissioner, also signaled at a House Ways and Means subcommittee hearing that his agency was discussing how to address a potential shutdown with the Obama administration, though he did not spell out any details of those talks. “We run a $13 billion financial services operation, so the idea of stopping it for a few days or a few weeks is strange,” Shulman said, adding that he was hopeful, based on ongoing negotiations, that a shutdown could be averted. [