10 crazy things the IRS asked Tea Party groups

[BreezeWood]

There is no bigger tax dodge than our progressive tax rate. But that is not what the OP is about. It's about corruption and liberty destroying power grabs.

As for "running on fumes" you are orders of magnitude more misinformed than Bogart's "Rick" about the waters in Casablanca. We have about two and a half trillion in income ever year with about three and a half trillion in spending. Thank you Bush, Obama, Pelosi and Reid.

you can thank the Tea Party as well - it wasn't just fumes that caused the 2nd Great Republican Depression - more like a 9 year unfunded unjustified Iraqi war the Tea Party Republicans had no problem with while supporting the Bush Administration.

Update: I meant to add that a 2011 letter from Rep. Darrell Issa and Rep. Jim Jordan laid out 16 areas of the Tea Party questionnaires that seemed to overreach. Here they are.

if they knew about it in March 2011 why didn't they do something about it then ?

Wow... You actually believe that Democrats didn't support the Iraq war. That would be hilarious if it wasn't so damned absurd.

the Democrats did not support the falsehoods perpetrated by the Republican Administration to conduct their unfunded and immoral war -

the strategy of that Administration to use the the Iraqi war to win elections is what the Democrats found necessary to counteract, to prevail in bringing it to an end.

chikenwing: The so called tea party didn't exist until AFTER Obama was elected

in name only - they could not stand the fact Republicans were no longer in control .... it is good they are flushed out and made into a quasi-party.

No Dirty Politics In IRS Investigations Of Tea Party - Forbes

This was, clearly, improper activity which is why the IRS issued today’s apology.


Maybe then, it will interest you to know that there are only two officials at the IRS that are political appointments—the commissioner (who is the boss) and the chief legal counsel. And while you may be thinking that it would be a piece of cake for the White House to place a call to the Commissioner and nudge him into putting a little heat on Tea Party groups so that they would be kept busy defending themselves from government annoyance rather than putting their energies into defeating the President, it would not have been quite so simple a task for the White House to accomplish.

Why?

Because the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service during the period in question was Douglas Shulman, a political appointee of President George W. Bush.

In fact, not only was Commissioner Shulman a Bush appointee, he would certainly have had no motivation to do the political bidding of a Democrat president considering that Mr. Shulman had already announced prior to the election that he would be stepping down from his post in November.

really, just some civil servants trying their hardest to perform their assignment in an otherwise thankless job.

 

[Skull Pilot]

Considering all the right-wing tax dodgers - I don't blame the IRS for being inquisitive regarding teabaggers. Teabaggers want America to run on fumes.

Actually Dimwitcraps are bigger tax cheats.

The Daily Beast Ranks the Party, Democratic or Republican, With the Most Tax Cheats - The Daily Beast

The verdict? Turns out Republicans have the bigger names—Jack Abramoff, Randy “Duke” Cunningham—but Democrats have the most tax scandals by a margin of 18 to 7.

Republicans and Tea Partiers tend to shout the loudest when it comes to tax reform, and they’re also the most law abiding—when it comes to paying their taxes, anyway.

 

[boedicca]

I don't think they're picking on the TEA PARTY

They ask these sorts of questions of every 501-c-3 that has is a membership organization.

Questions like those are part of the standard tax forms for not-for-profits.

Now they IRS might be following up with still more questions about their membership system, but reporting how that system works (dues etc.) is a STANDARD part of their tax reporting.

They did far more than asking standard questions.

If they were just answering the standard questions, why do they feel compelled to apologize?

 

[S.J.]

You libs are really having a hard time with this one, aren't you? Struggling to find a way to say they the IRS did nothing wrong when they themselves have admitted it. This is priceless.

 

[Papageorgio]

Considering all the right-wing tax dodgers - I don't blame the IRS for being inquisitive regarding teabaggers. Teabaggers want America to run on fumes.

There is no bigger tax dodge than our progressive tax rate. But that is not what the OP is about. It's about corruption and liberty destroying power grabs.

As for "running on fumes" you are orders of magnitude more misinformed than Bogart's "Rick" about the waters in Casablanca. We have about two and a half trillion in income ever year with about three and a half trillion in spending. Thank you Bush, Obama, Pelosi and Reid.

you can thank the Tea Party as well - it wasn't just fumes that caused the 2nd Great Republican Depression - more like a 9 year unfunded unjustified Iraqi war the Tea Party Republicans had no problem with while supporting the Bush Administration.

Update: I meant to add that a 2011 letter from Rep. Darrell Issa and Rep. Jim Jordan laid out 16 areas of the Tea Party questionnaires that seemed to overreach. Here they are.

if they knew about it in March 2011 why didn't they do something about it then ?

Another attempt to run cover for a despicable act and divert from the subject. Fail.

Now according to liberal history, the TeaParty only came on the scene after a black president was elected. So before Obama there were no such thing a TeaParty Republicans. Learn your history.

 

[BreezeWood]

EarthLink - Top News

AP Exclusive: IRS knew tea party targeted in 2011


The Treasury's inspector general for tax administration is expected to release the results of a nearly yearlong investigation in the coming week.

The Associated Press obtained part of the draft report.

That report says the head of the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups learned that groups were being targeted in June 2011. It does not say whether Shulman was notified.

the results of a nearly yearlong investigation in the coming week.


the story has been around for a while, even longer than the Benghazi hype - guess the Republicans have nothing better to do than dig for dirt ... such as passing a National Budget.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Of course the IRS should investigate these groups. Rove's and Armey's groups claim they are tax-exempt "social service organization" when they are really political orgs. Political orgs are not tax exempt.

 

[nitroz]

Considering all the right-wing tax dodgers - I don't blame the IRS for being inquisitive regarding teabaggers. Teabaggers want America to run on fumes.

I work retail.

You should see the stuff that churches buy and tack it under their "tax exempt" status.
It's appalling.

 

[S.J.]

This is extraordinary. Liberals are STILL trying to excuse this AFTER the IRS confessed. Talk about being in denial! It reminds me of Bill Clinton's supporters who said they didn't believe he had sex with Monica AFTER he made a statement saying he DID. You guys are absolutely amazing!

 

[Zona]

I hope all tax dodgers get caught. We have to pay, so should they.

That is all.

 

[Zona]

This is extraordinary. Liberals are STILL trying to excuse this AFTER the IRS confessed. Talk about being in denial! It reminds me of Bill Clinton's supporters who said they didn't believe he had sex with Monica AFTER he made a statement saying he DID. You guys are absolutely amazing!

Who is denying what? Tax cheats make me sick. What are your feelings on them?

 

[Papageorgio]

This is extraordinary. Liberals are STILL trying to excuse this AFTER the IRS confessed. Talk about being in denial! It reminds me of Bill Clinton's supporters who said they didn't believe he had sex with Monica AFTER he made a statement saying he DID. You guys are absolutely amazing!

Who is denying what? Tax cheats make me sick. What are your feelings on them?

The administration loves them, look at Giethner.

I personally loathe them.

 

[S.J.]

This is extraordinary. Liberals are STILL trying to excuse this AFTER the IRS confessed. Talk about being in denial! It reminds me of Bill Clinton's supporters who said they didn't believe he had sex with Monica AFTER he made a statement saying he DID. You guys are absolutely amazing!

Who is denying what? Tax cheats make me sick. What are your feelings on them?

You're denying they did anything wrong, they're admitting they did.

 

[buckeye45_73]

They shouldn't have singled out Tea Party groups the way they did. That's indefensible and I don't buy the official story that it was just a way to categorize the work developed by lower level employees. Doesn't pass the smell test, does it?

On the other hand, I'd have no objections if they treated EVERY applicant for tax-exempt status like that. Let's make sure they really are doing what they claim they are before letting them get out of paying taxes and let's find out who's behind them.

Forcing applicants for 501(c) status to reveal that kind of detailed information would go a long way toward fixing what's wrong with the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling, wouldn't it? We might finally find out who's doing what and why.

I suspect that's what the right is actually afraid of in this case. If the IRS is allowed to actually investigate a claim for tax exempt status, The People might figure out how a few key players are trying to manipulate the election process through a series of tax-exempt front groups.

I do agree with this

 

[buckeye45_73]

This is extraordinary. Liberals are STILL trying to excuse this AFTER the IRS confessed. Talk about being in denial! It reminds me of Bill Clinton's supporters who said they didn't believe he had sex with Monica AFTER he made a statement saying he DID. You guys are absolutely amazing!

Who is denying what? Tax cheats make me sick. What are your feelings on them?

I hate them.....flat tax....NO deductions....done...make it simple

 

[Ragnar]

Of course the IRS should investigate these groups. Rove's and Armey's groups claim they are tax-exempt "social service organization" when they are really political orgs. Political orgs are not tax exempt.

Like Media Matters? Like Priorities U.S.A.? Like Organising For America? For the record, the issue is not about routine IRS investigations or operations. It's about political abuse of power and possible illegalities.

Would the scenario here really sound so above the board to your tin ear if the groups targeted were not Patriot/Tea Party? What if it were the UNCF and the NAACP that were illegally targeted but the IRS apologised and claimed race had nothing to do with it?

All power corrupts...

 

[RoadVirus]

Considering all the right-wing tax dodgers - I don't blame the IRS for being inquisitive regarding teabaggers. Teabaggers want America to run on fumes.

Right Wing tax dodgers? Do you have a list?

I have a list of Big-name Democrats who have had tax "issues":

Marion Barry
Charlie Rangel
Tom Daschle
Tim Geithner
Al Sharpton
John Kerry
Claire McCaskill
Mary Landrieu

And i'm sure there are more that i've missed.

 

[Clementine]

Considering all the right-wing tax dodgers - I don't blame the IRS for being inquisitive regarding teabaggers. Teabaggers want America to run on fumes.

So, you're okay with them breaking laws to pick on people as long as they only pick on the other side and not your party?

OWS took in a considerable amount of money. Of course, George Soros was quite generous with them. They were using the money to buy their organic food, that they didn't want to share with the bums. They only got rice. The IRS probably didn't even question them at all.

Funny that many Dems have dodged taxes, such as many of Obama's appointees. What's their excuse? When they support raising taxes on the middle class and wealthy, it's really hypocritical of them to be dishonest when they pay taxes. And what about all those wealthy liberals who claim they don't pay enough? Is someone stopping them from writing a check for an amount they feel is fair and mailing it to the government? If they really think the wealthy should pay more, why don't they just pay more to ease their little minds?

It was a gross violation of peoples' right for the IRS to do what it did. And I don't believe it was low level employees doing this on their own. I think they were encouraged or even instructed by those higher up.

 

[S.J.]

Considering all the right-wing tax dodgers - I don't blame the IRS for being inquisitive regarding teabaggers. Teabaggers want America to run on fumes.

So, you're okay with them breaking laws to pick on people as long as they only pick on the other side and not your party?

OWS took in a considerable amount of money. Of course, George Soros was quite generous with them. They were using the money to buy their organic food, that they didn't want to share with the bums. They only got rice. The IRS probably didn't even question them at all.

Funny that many Dems have dodged taxes, such as many of Obama's appointees. What's their excuse? When they support raising taxes on the middle class and wealthy, it's really hypocritical of them to be dishonest when they pay taxes. And what about all those wealthy liberals who claim they don't pay enough? Is someone stopping them from writing a check for an amount they feel is fair and mailing it to the government? If they really think the wealthy should pay more, why don't they just pay more to ease their little minds?

It was a gross violation of peoples' right for the IRS to do what it did. And I don't believe it was low level employees doing this on their own. I think they were encouraged or even instructed by those higher up.

Damn right. The orders came from the top. That's how they operate in Chicago.