The IRS Scandal, Day 875

Forbes:  More IRS Bonuses Revealed By Lawsuit, by Robert W. Wood:

Many Americans probably think the IRS shouldn’t be handing out bonuses. Not to Lois Lerner or a fired IRS Commissioner anyhow. But they did, and a lawsuit by Tax Analysts tried to get to the bottom of these and other IRS bonuses. Why a lawsuit?

Because the IRS stonewalled, as it not infrequently does. Tax Analysts asked nicely first and made a Freedom of Information Act request. But the IRS has high walls. Eventually, Tax Analysts brought a suit against the IRS to compel the agency to release records of bonuses to high-level executives since 2010.

Many of the bonuses can be traced to IRS Commissioner Koskinen, who took the helm of the IRS in December 2013. Most of the IRS bonuses were paid in February and March 2014, with 238 awards totaling $976,387. No further awards were recorded until November and January 2015, with 218 awards totaling $1,000,108.

In all, the IRS paid 1,269 performance awards and retention incentives to 351 chief counsel executive and nonunion managers. These amounts totaled $5.97 million between January 1, 2010, and February 2, 2015. The average performance award was $4,483. Yet individual awards ranged from $88 to $44,096. Individual recipients’ total awards ranged even more widely, from $250 to $285,688. For considerable detail on the bonuses, go here.

As you read about bonuses, you might recall other reports saying that 61% of IRS employees caught willfully violating the tax law aren’t fired, but may get promoted. You might find it even worse that Ms. Lois Lerner received $129,000 in bonuses. The former IRS official received $129,300 in bonuses between 2010 and 2013. As head of the IRS tax-exempt division at the heart of the targeting scandal, she received a 25% retention bonus each year—averaging $43,000 a year—on top of her regular salary.The IRS scandal broke in May 2013, but goes back to January 2010. The Supreme Court in Citizens United found it unconstitutional to ban free speech by corporations, unions and other organizations. Shortly thereafter, the IRS distributed a BOLO (Be on the Lookout) list for Tea Party organizations applying for tax exempt status. As the emails went awry, the fact that the IRS used instant messaging to hide internal communications was pooh-poohed by the administration.

Recently, the IRS says it “discovered” that Lois Lerner’s dog had an email account, in addition to her official account and personal email accounts. There was already an official IRS email account, and Lerner’s own private email account that the IRS had labeled ‘Lois Home.’ The ‘Toby Miles’ account? Toby is the dog, and Michael Miles is Ms. Lerner’s husband.

• Accounting Today, Details of IRS Bonuses Revealed
• Washington Free Beacon, IRS Dished Out Nearly $6M In Bonuses Over Past Five Years

• The IRS Scandal, Day 874 (Sept. 30, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 873 (Sept. 29, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 872 (Sept. 28, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 871 (Sept. 27, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 870 (Sept. 26, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 869 (Sept. 25, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 868 (Sept. 24, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 867 (Sept. 23, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 866 (Sept. 22, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 865 (Sept. 21, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 864 (Sept. 20, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 863 (Sept. 19, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 862 (Sept. 18, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 861 (Sept. 17, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 860 (Sept. 16, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 859 (Sept. 15, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 858 (Sept. 14, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 857 (Sept. 13, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 856 (Sept. 12, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 855 (Sept. 11, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 854 (Sept. 10, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 853 (Sept. 9, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 852 (Sept. 8, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 851 (Sept. 7, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 850 (Sept. 6, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 849 (Sept. 5, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 848 (Sept. 4, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 847 (Sept. 3, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 846 (Sept. 2, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 845 (Sept. 1, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 844 (Aug. 31, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 843 (Aug. 30, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 842 (Aug. 29, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 841 (Aug. 28, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 840 (Aug. 27, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 839 (Aug. 26, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 838 (Aug. 25, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 837 (Aug. 24, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 836 (Aug. 23, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 835 (Aug. 22, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 834 (Aug. 21, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 833 (Aug. 20, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 832 (Aug. 19, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 831 (Aug. 18, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 830 (Aug. 17, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 829 (Aug. 16, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 828 (Aug. 15, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 827 (Aug. 14, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 826 (Aug. 13, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 825 (Aug. 12, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 824 (Aug. 11, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 823 (Aug. 10, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 822 (Aug. 9, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 821 (Aug. 8, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 820 (Aug. 7, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 819 (Aug. 6, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 818 (Aug. 5, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 817 (Aug. 4, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 816 (Aug. 3, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 815 (Aug. 2, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 814 (Aug. 1, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 813 (July 31, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 812 (July 30, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 811 (July 29, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 810 (July 28, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 809 (July 27, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 808 (July 26, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 807 (July 25, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 806 (July 24, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 805 (July 23, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 804 (July 22, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 803 (July 21, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 802 (July 20, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 801 (July 19, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 701-800 (April 10, 2015 - July 18, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 601-700 (Dec. 31, 2014 - April 9, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 501-600 (Sept. 22, 2014-Dec. 30, 2014)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 401-500 (June 14, 2014 - Sept. 21,2014)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 301-400 (Mar. 6, 2014 - June 13, 2014)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 201-300 (Nov. 26, 2013 - Mar. 5, 2014)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 101-200 (Aug. 18, 2013 - Nov. 25, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 1-100 (May 10, 2013 - Aug. 17, 2013)