IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups

[JohnL.Burke]

Now take away all tax exempt organizations from Churches.
No more Pastors driving Lincolns without being obligated to pay any income taxes funneled through the church. Pastor Salary - Salary.com




If we eliminate the tax exemption, we could explode NASA's budget and make progress in space exploration, green technologies, importing precious resources from space, fixing climate change, etc. And our pace could be 5x faster than what it is now, or more! This with the additional revenue for the private space industry, creating more jobs and boosting the free economy.


Everyone needs to be taxed their fair share. NO EXEMPTIONS!! (Businesses may get them as long as they pay the taxes on their sales)




The IRS should not apologize for doing their jobs.

This has nothing to do with religion

the irs committed a crime

no, they shouldn't have to apologize, they should have to go to court for illegal discrimination.

And where does it say that it's illegal to freely make sure that they are within the law?

If they cannot be challenged, then they should not have the privilege to be exempt in the first place.

Only challenging certain people while not challenging others due to apparent political differences is what the topic is about.

 

[JohnL.Burke]

Some of us are against the government targeting political rivals and some of us aren't. Il guess this explains the argument in a nutshell.

 

[Starlight]

The IRS also pays special attention to Sovereign Citizen groups and Militia groups. Guess they can't do that either now, being it would hurt the pwecious feewings of the right. In a sane country, people would approve of the IRS focusing on groups showing a propensity towards tax fraud. Alas, we're no longer sane, being that right-wing political correctness runs the show.

There is a known propensity for scammers to latch on to the Tea Party label. Note that I didn't say "Tea Partiers are scammers". I said criminal types take advantage of Tea Partiers. Hence, the IRS should pay more attention to groups trying to use that label.

Oh well. If the Tea Partiers insist that the IRS should let scammers run free and fleece them, who are we to argue?

In a sane country, mamooth, people would approve of the IRS focusing on those who have been appointed to the Obama adminstration that did not pay their taxes. In a sane country, people who did not pay their taxes would not be part of a White House administration....for instance Timothy Geithner as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Pretty ironic.

 

[Starlight]

Jay Carney said he didn't know when the White House first learned that tea party groups were being targeted. He will have to start getting his info from the Associated Press. This administration doesn't seem to know anything that's going on.

AP Exclusive: IRS knew tea party targeted in 2011

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER
Associated Press
May 11, 7:11 P.M.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senior Internal Revenue Service officials knew agents were targeting tea party groups as early as 2011, according to a draft of an inspector general's report obtained by The Associated Press that seemingly contradicts public statements by the IRS commissioner.

The IRS apologized Friday for what it acknowledged was "inappropriate" targeting of conservative political groups during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status. The agency blamed low-level employees, saying no high-level officials were aware.

But on June 29, 2011, Lois G. Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt organizations, learned at a meeting that groups were being targeted, according to the watchdog's report. At the meeting, she was told that groups with "Tea Party," `'Patriot" or "9/12 Project" in their names were being flagged for additional and often burdensome scrutiny, the report says.

News from The Associated Press

 

[Ragnar]

And where does it say that it's illegal to freely make sure that they are within the law?

If they cannot be challenged, then they should not have the privilege to be exempt in the first place.

National Review Online | Print

Ms. Lerner’s version of the story is that three things happened independently of one another:

First, “line people” — that’s IRS-speak for grunts — decided, on their own and with no direction from above, to create a special category of organizations applying for tax-exempt status: “Tea Party and Patriot” organizations. Ms. Lerner says that other organizations may have been specifically named, but when challenged could not think of one, and then added: “I only said that because I don’t like to say ‘absolutely not.’ But I don’t know.”

Second, that batch of applicants was delayed for an unusual period of time. Ms. Lerner said that this was the result of an unusually large number of applications coming in, but applications for tax-exempt status have been growing quickly since 2008 — making 2012’s bumper crop something less than an unforeseeable circumstance.

Third, and perhaps most troubling, those tea-party organizations were sent letters of inquiry demanding information that would seldom if ever be demanded of any other applicant in the process. The IRS demanded lists of donors, names of spouses and family members, detailed information about political views and associations — all of that “under penalties of perjury.” Many applicants dropped out of the process. The questions were remarkably invasive: For example, the IRS demanded to know not only whether political candidates participated in public forums conducted by the groups, but which issues were discussed, along with copies of any literature distributed at the forum and material published on websites. (The IRS has been less forthcoming with its own materials related to this investigation.) If the organizations collected dues, the IRS demanded to know how much they were. It demanded everything down to the résumés of employees. The inquiry was not limited to members of the organization, its executives, or its directors, but included even their family members: The IRS demanded to know — again, under penalty of perjury — whether any of their family members might be thinking about running for office. Its demand for the names of all donors — and all recipients of grants — is in violation of IRS policy.

We also learned today that several higher ups and multiple offices outside Cincinnati were in the know so the idea that this was a low level "line people" instigated targeting is known to be false.

 

[OriginalShroom]

"Low Level" employees don't make these kind of decisions.

 

[Ragnar]

"Low Level" employees don't make these kind of decisions.

That's true. And if they had, they could have been easily fired months ago and we would not still be talking about this.

 

[Immanuel]

"Low Level" employees don't make these kind of decisions.

No, they don't, but they sure as hell can take the fall for them.

Immie

 

[RandallFlagg]

The IRS also pays special attention to Sovereign Citizen groups and Militia groups. Guess they can't do that either now, being it would hurt the pwecious feewings of the right. In a sane country, people would approve of the IRS focusing on groups showing a propensity towards tax fraud. Alas, we're no longer sane, being that right-wing political correctness runs the show.

There is a known propensity for scammers to latch on to the Tea Party label. Note that I didn't say "Tea Partiers are scammers". I said criminal types take advantage of Tea Partiers. Hence, the IRS should pay more attention to groups trying to use that label.

Oh well. If the Tea Partiers insist that the IRS should let scammers run free and fleece them, who are we to argue?

Criminal types take advantage of Tea Partiers? What exactly are you referring to? What do you mean by sovereign citizen groups? Are you trying to compare militia groups to Tea Partiers? Can you tell me what you are talking about? By the way, the whole "IRS was just doing their job" argument isn't really practical since the IRS admitted that what they did was wrong.

Yes sir.


And when the IRS admits to breaking the law - it's one HELL of an admission.

 

[RandallFlagg]

The IRS also pays special attention to Sovereign Citizen groups and Militia groups. Guess they can't do that either now, being it would hurt the pwecious feewings of the right. In a sane country, people would approve of the IRS focusing on groups showing a propensity towards tax fraud. Alas, we're no longer sane, being that right-wing political correctness runs the show.

There is a known propensity for scammers to latch on to the Tea Party label. Note that I didn't say "Tea Partiers are scammers". I said criminal types take advantage of Tea Partiers. Hence, the IRS should pay more attention to groups trying to use that label.

Oh well. If the Tea Partiers insist that the IRS should let scammers run free and fleece them, who are we to argue?

In a sane country, mamooth, people would approve of the IRS focusing on those who have been appointed to the Obama adminstration that did not pay their taxes. In a sane country, people who did not pay their taxes would not be part of a White House administration....for instance Timothy Geithner as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Pretty ironic.

Oh, C'mon now...Timothy "tax cheat" Geithner paid all his 8 years of back taxes that he simply "forgot" to pay.....

Now, if you or I had done that - it would be the Gulag for us.

 

[Immanuel]

The IRS also pays special attention to Sovereign Citizen groups and Militia groups. Guess they can't do that either now, being it would hurt the pwecious feewings of the right. In a sane country, people would approve of the IRS focusing on groups showing a propensity towards tax fraud. Alas, we're no longer sane, being that right-wing political correctness runs the show.

There is a known propensity for scammers to latch on to the Tea Party label. Note that I didn't say "Tea Partiers are scammers". I said criminal types take advantage of Tea Partiers. Hence, the IRS should pay more attention to groups trying to use that label.

Oh well. If the Tea Partiers insist that the IRS should let scammers run free and fleece them, who are we to argue?

In a sane country, mamooth, people would approve of the IRS focusing on those who have been appointed to the Obama adminstration that did not pay their taxes. In a sane country, people who did not pay their taxes would not be part of a White House administration....for instance Timothy Geithner as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Pretty ironic.

Oh, C'mon now...Timothy "tax cheat" Geithner paid all his 8 years of back taxes that he simply "forgot" to pay.....

Now, if you or I had done that - it would be the Gulag for us.

I wonder, did he pay the penalties and interest we would have been required to pay as well?

Immie

 

[boedicca]

The IRS targets conservative groups...and we're supposed to trust these people with our health records.

That should work out really well.

 

[Starlight]

The IRS also pays special attention to Sovereign Citizen groups and Militia groups. Guess they can't do that either now, being it would hurt the pwecious feewings of the right. In a sane country, people would approve of the IRS focusing on groups showing a propensity towards tax fraud. Alas, we're no longer sane, being that right-wing political correctness runs the show.

There is a known propensity for scammers to latch on to the Tea Party label. Note that I didn't say "Tea Partiers are scammers". I said criminal types take advantage of Tea Partiers. Hence, the IRS should pay more attention to groups trying to use that label.

Oh well. If the Tea Partiers insist that the IRS should let scammers run free and fleece them, who are we to argue?

In a sane country, mamooth, people would approve of the IRS focusing on those who have been appointed to the Obama adminstration that did not pay their taxes. In a sane country, people who did not pay their taxes would not be part of a White House administration....for instance Timothy Geithner as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Pretty ironic.

Oh, C'mon now...Timothy "tax cheat" Geithner paid all his 8 years of back taxes that he simply "forgot" to pay.....

Now, if you or I had done that - it would be the Gulag for us.

I'm afraid you are guilty of making way too much sense, Randall. Try again

 

[LadyGunSlinger]

IRS targeted Jews and Jewish groups..
IRS Inquisition Update | National Review Online

From the Jewish Press:

The passionately pro-Israel organization Z STREET filed a lawsuit against the IRS, claiming it had been told by an IRS agent that because the organization was “connected to Israel,” its application for tax-exempt status would receive additional scrutiny. This admission was made in response to a query about the lengthy reveiw of Z STREET’s tax exempt status application.

In addition, the IRS agent told a Z STREET representative that the applications of some of those Israel-related organizations have been assigned to “a special unit in the D.C. office to determine whether the organization’s activities contradict the Administration’s public policies.” . . .

And at least one purely religious Jewish organization, one not focused on Israel, was the recipient of bizarre and highly inappropriate questions about Israel. Those questions also came from the same non-profit division of the IRS at issue for inappropriately targeting politically conservative groups. The IRS required that Jewish organization to state “whether [it] supports the existence of the land of Israel,” and also demanded the organization “[d]escribe [its] religious belief system toward the land of Israel.”

 

[Ragnar]

The IRS targets conservative groups...and we're supposed to trust these people with our health records.

That should work out really well.

I've found many links of good people asking that same smart question but I'm including the one below specifically because it upsets all the right people...

This IRS revelation is another step in the unraveling of the Obama administration’s self-proclaimed “hope and change.” Between the Benghazi cover-up and the IRS targeting Obama’s political opponents, we see the corruption at the heart of big government.

Americans should remember that this same corrupt IRS will be in charge of enforcing Obamacare. And this same inept and corrupt government will supposedly secure our now unsecured borders in advance of immigration reform and will implement a completely ethical and non-political IPAB panel to make life and death health care decisions for you and your family. Forgive me for not trusting these big government promises any more than I trust the White House’s latest Benghazi spin or the IRS’ fairness.

Guess who...

https://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin/posts/10151606278968588

 

[Two Thumbs]

Now take away all tax exempt organizations from Churches.
No more Pastors driving Lincolns without being obligated to pay any income taxes funneled through the church. Pastor Salary - Salary.com




If we eliminate the tax exemption, we could explode NASA's budget and make progress in space exploration, green technologies, importing precious resources from space, fixing climate change, etc. And our pace could be 5x faster than what it is now, or more! This with the additional revenue for the private space industry, creating more jobs and boosting the free economy.


Everyone needs to be taxed their fair share. NO EXEMPTIONS!! (Businesses may get them as long as they pay the taxes on their sales)




The IRS should not apologize for doing their jobs.

This has nothing to do with religion

the irs committed a crime

no, they shouldn't have to apologize, they should have to go to court for illegal discrimination.

And where does it say that it's illegal to freely make sure that they are within the law?

If they cannot be challenged, then they should not have the privilege to be exempt in the first place.

who said the TP was exempt?

or is this some faggotted attempt to change the subject from the fact that a dem dominated admin used illegal tactics during the election?

 

[RandallFlagg]

In a sane country, mamooth, people would approve of the IRS focusing on those who have been appointed to the Obama adminstration that did not pay their taxes. In a sane country, people who did not pay their taxes would not be part of a White House administration....for instance Timothy Geithner as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Pretty ironic.

Oh, C'mon now...Timothy "tax cheat" Geithner paid all his 8 years of back taxes that he simply "forgot" to pay.....

Now, if you or I had done that - it would be the Gulag for us.

I'm afraid you are guilty of making way too much sense, Randall. Try again

You know, when this subject came up, it reminded me of a situation that I recall with a radio guy out of Florida, back in the 90s (during BJ Clinton's reign).

The guy's name(If memory serves) was Chuck Harder and he did a daily radio show that pretty much ran Clinton over the coals - NAFTA and Vince Foster - and all the women that Clinton had had sex with, the whole 9 yards.

Well, turns out that he was audited EVERY year by the IRS - 5 years in a row. He always contended that the Clinton administration had targeted him for retribution but of course, Clinton always denied it. He was finally ran out of business due to excessive litigation.

Just goes to show you - democrats don't get mad, they abuse their power to get even.

Peaked my interest, and I found this on Harder:

www.wnd.com/2010/10/214357/

 

[depotoo]

"Low Level" employees don't make these kind of decisions.

sort of like the stand down order...

 

[depotoo]

IRS targeted Jews and Jewish groups..
IRS Inquisition Update | National Review Online

From the Jewish Press:

The passionately pro-Israel organization Z STREET filed a lawsuit against the IRS, claiming it had been told by an IRS agent that because the organization was “connected to Israel,” its application for tax-exempt status would receive additional scrutiny. This admission was made in response to a query about the lengthy reveiw of Z STREET’s tax exempt status application.

In addition, the IRS agent told a Z STREET representative that the applications of some of those Israel-related organizations have been assigned to “a special unit in the D.C. office to determine whether the organization’s activities contradict the Administration’s public policies.” . . .

And at least one purely religious Jewish organization, one not focused on Israel, was the recipient of bizarre and highly inappropriate questions about Israel. Those questions also came from the same non-profit division of the IRS at issue for inappropriately targeting politically conservative groups. The IRS required that Jewish organization to state “whether [it] supports the existence of the land of Israel,” and also demanded the organization “[d]escribe [its] religious belief system toward the land of Israel.”

Wow! Wonder if that can be proven?

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Some of us are against the government targeting political rivals and some of us aren't. Il guess this explains the argument in a nutshell.

Surprisingly enough, that does sum it up.