Paul L. Caron
Dean





Friday, May 30, 2014

The IRS Scandal, Day 386

IRS Logo 2Commentary:  Phony Scandal? Courts Open Window on the IRS’s Political Litmus Tests, by Jonathan S. Tobin:

Interest in the Internal Revenue Service’s outrageous practice of subjecting politically conservative groups to discriminatory treatment has died down a bit since the revelations about this scandal first hit the news a year ago. But a court decision that was handed down earlier this week about a similar instance of potential government misconduct may shed more light on the way the Tea Party and other right-wing organizations were given the business by Lois Lerner and the rest of what appears to be a highly politicized bureaucracy at the heart of our tax collection system. ...

In other words, this case may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back of the IRS’s politically prejudicial policies. If an IRS agent can reject or stall a pro-Israel group’s application on the grounds that “these cases are being sent to a special unit in the D.C. office to determine whether the organization’s activities contradict the Administration’s public policies,” then no group, no matter what its political orientation or cause is safe from being subjected to a political litmus test designed by any administration of either political party. ...

Using the IRS to punish political foes is blatantly illegal. If, as we suspect, the Z Street case reveals the sort of internal email traffic that will reveal how widespread this practice has become in the last five years, perhaps even a liberal mainstream press that still thinks the problems at the IRS are a “phony scandal” will start to pay attention.

https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2014/05/the-irs-scandal-26.html

IRS News, IRS Scandal, Tax | Permalink

Comments

It's what you call winging your power and influence to oppress people who doesn't buy your thoughts and ideologies. This shouldn't be tolerated.

Posted by: Ted Boster | Jun 22, 2014 10:32:27 PM

would it be okay to note this was simply an order denying a motion to dismiss? the allegations have not been proven.

Posted by: russ willis | May 30, 2014 12:46:12 PM