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Author
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Topic: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups
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juniperb
Moderator Posts: 6694
From: Blue Star Kachina
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted May 10, 2013 12:09 PM
  
I wasn`t aware they did so I found it an interesting read. quote:
WASHINGTON (AP) The Internal Revenue Service inappropriately flagged conservative political groups for additional reviews during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status, a top IRS official said Friday.Organizations were singled out because they included the words "tea party" or "patriot" in their applications for tax-exempt status, said Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups. In some cases, groups were asked for their list of donors, which violates IRS policy in most cases, she said. "That was wrong. That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive and it was inappropriate. That's not how we go about selecting cases for further review," Lerner said at a conference sponsored by the American Bar Association. "The IRS would like to apologize for that," she added. Lerner said the practice was initiated by low-level workers in Cincinnati and was not motivated by political bias. After her talk, she told The AP that no high level IRS officials knew about the practice. She did not say when they found out. Many conservative groups complained during the election that they were being harassed by the IRS. They accused the agency of frustrating their attempts to become tax exempt by sending them lengthy, intrusive questionnaires. The forms, which the groups made available at the time, sought information about group members' political activities, including details of their postings on social networking websites and about family members. Certain tax-exempt charitable groups can conduct political activities but it cannot be their primary activity.
rest here>>> http://news.yahoo.com/irs-apologizes-targeting-conservative-groups-144349480.html ------------------
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AcousticGod
Knowflake Posts: 7398
From: Pleasanton, CA
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted May 10, 2013 12:29 PM
Yeah, I saw that, too.IP: Logged |
juniperb
Moderator Posts: 6694
From: Blue Star Kachina
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted May 10, 2013 02:07 PM
Curious then, if it wasn`t main stream news, why the apology over something few knew about?------------------
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Randall
Webmaster Posts: 27783
From: Saturn next to Charmainec
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted May 10, 2013 02:54 PM
A bunch of tea party groups (20 of them) got together to sue the IRS over harassment. They allege that Obama used this against them in the election. The apology has something to do with that. It's strangely enough an admission. IP: Logged |
juniperb
Moderator Posts: 6694
From: Blue Star Kachina
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted May 10, 2013 02:55 PM
Heck yes. I wonder what the real motive is.------------------
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PixieJane
Knowflake Posts: 2240
From: CA
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted May 10, 2013 03:17 PM
Not to justify profiling, but I can't say I'm surprised (though I would be if it were religious groups who seem able to violate the law with impunity without IRS harassment). When plenty of self-proclaimed Patriot organizations & TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party groups make it clear what they think of the IRS (and often taxation in general) then this surprises me as much as when someone wearing a shirt with a big pot leaf image and the word LEGALIZE on it gets harassed by the cops who want to search him (actually, the guy with the "legalize pot" shirt would also need to go around making it well known he thinks all cops are "pigs" to match how many Patriots and Tea Party members portray the IRS). Again, not saying it's right, just that it shouldn't seem surprising. IP: Logged |
juniperb
Moderator Posts: 6694
From: Blue Star Kachina
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted May 10, 2013 03:55 PM
I see this new related article :Top Senate Republican calls for IRS investigation Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell on Friday called for an investigation into the Internal Revenue Service after the federal agency apologized for placing heavier scrutiny on conservative groups than other applicants that applied for tax-exempt status between 2010 and 2012. "Today, I call on the White House to conduct a transparent, government-wide review aimed at assuring the American people that these thuggish practices are not underway at the IRS or elsewhere in the administration against anyone, regardless of their political views," McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, said in a statement. "But make no mistake, an apology wont put this issue to rest," he continued. "Now more than ever we need to send a clear message to the Obama Administration that the First Amendment is non-negotiable, and that apologies after an election year are not a sufficient response to what we now know took place at the IRS. This kind of political thuggery has absolutely no place in our politics. The IRS announced earlier on Friday that "mistakes were made" when reviewing applications of conservative groups that organized during the rise of the tea party movement between 2010 and 2012. IRS employees centralized its applicant review process in an office in Cincinnati, Ohio, after receiving an influx of requests to form tax-exempt "501(c)4" issue advocacy groups. Auditors intentionally singled out applications that included the words "tea party" or "patriot," the IRS said rest here >>> http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/top-senate-republican-calls-irs-investigation-175210457.html ------------------
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Randall
Webmaster Posts: 27783
From: Saturn next to Charmainec
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted May 10, 2013 04:37 PM
The IRS engages in thuggish tactics? No way! You've got to be kidding!  IP: Logged |
juniperb
Moderator Posts: 6694
From: Blue Star Kachina
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted May 11, 2013 02:43 PM
I`m not shocked it happened at all... I am shocked it only took 20 party members to raise such a rukus and get an investigation going  ------------------
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Ami Anne
Moderator Posts: 41445
From: Pluto/house next to NickiG
Registered: Sep 2010
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posted May 11, 2013 06:44 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Randall:
A bunch of tea party groups (20 of them) got together to sue the IRS over harassment. They allege that Obama used this against them in the election. The apology has something to do with that. It's strangely enough an admission.
Very surprised the IRS would make an admission. Maybe, there is more to it than meets the eye. What could that be, do you think? ------------------
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Randall
Webmaster Posts: 27783
From: Saturn next to Charmainec
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted May 11, 2013 07:34 PM
WASHINGTON 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.
The 9-12 Project is a group started by conservative TV personality Glenn Beck.
Lerner instructed agents to change the criteria for flagging groups "immediately," the report says.
The Treasury Department's inspector general for tax administration is expected to release the results of a nearly yearlong investigation in the coming week. The AP obtained part of the draft report, which has been shared with congressional aides.
Among the other revelations, on Aug. 4, 2011, staffers in the IRS' Rulings and Agreements office "held a meeting with chief counsel so that everyone would have the latest information on the issue."
On Jan, 25, 2012, the criteria for flagging suspect groups was changed to, "political action type organizations involved in limiting/expanding Government, educating on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, social economic reform/movement," the report says.
While this was happening, several committees in Congress were writing numerous letters IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman to express concern because tea party groups were complaining of IRS harassment.
In Shulman's responses, he did not acknowledge targeting of tea party groups. At a congressional hearing March 22, 2012, Shulman was adamant in his denials.
"There's absolutely no targeting. This is the kind of back and forth that happens to people" who apply for tax-exempt status, Shulman said at the House Ways and Means subcommittee hearing.
The portion of the draft report reviewed by the AP does not say whether Shulman or anyone else in the Obama administration outside the IRS was informed of the targeting. It is standard procedure for agency heads to consult with staff before responding to congressional inquiries, but it is unclear how much information Shulman sought.
The IRS has not said when Shulman found out that Tea Party groups were targeted.
Shulman was appointed by President George W. Bush, a Republican. His 6-year term ended in November. President Barack Obama has yet to nominate a successor. The agency is now run by an acting commissioner, Steven Miller.
The IRS said in a statement Saturday that the agency believes the timeline in the IG's report is correct, and supports what officials said Friday.
"IRS senior leadership was not aware of this level of specific details at the time of the March 2012 hearing," the statement said. "The timeline does not contradict the commissioner's testimony. While exempt organizations officials knew of the situation earlier, the timeline reflects that IRS senior leadership did not have this level of detail."
Lerner's position is three levels below the commissioner.
"The timeline supports what the IRS acknowledged on Friday that mistakes were made," the statement continued. "There were not partisan reasons behind this."
Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee's oversight subcommittee, said the report "raises serious questions as to who at IRS, Treasury and in the administration knew about this, why this practice was allowed to continue for as long as it did, and how widespread it was."
"This timeline reveals at least two extremely unethical actions by the IRS. One, as early as 2010, they targeted groups for political purposes. Two, they willfully and knowingly lied to Congress for years despite being aware that Congress was investigating this practice," Boustany said.
"This is an outrageous abuse of power. Going after organizations for referencing the Bill of Rights or expressing the intent to make this country a better place is repugnant," Boustany added. "There is no excuse for this behavior."
Several congressional committees have promised investigations, including the Ways and Means Committee, which plans to hold a hearing.
"The admission by the agency that it targeted American taxpayers based on politics is both shocking and disappointing," said Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. "We will hold the IRS accountable for its actions."
On Friday, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the administration expected the inspector general to conduct a thorough investigation, but he brushed aside calls for the White House itself to investigate.
Many conservative groups complained during the 2012 election that they were being harassed by the IRS. They accused the agency of frustrating their attempts to become tax exempt by sending them lengthy, intrusive questionnaires.
The forms, which the groups have made available, sought information about group members' political activities, including details of their postings on social networking websites and about family members.
In some cases, the IRS acknowledged, agents inappropriately asked for lists of donors.
There has been a surge of politically active groups claiming tax-exempt status in recent elections conservative and liberal. Among the highest profile are Republican Karl Rove's group Crossroads GPS and the liberal Moveon.org.
These groups claim tax-exempt status under section 501 (c) (4) of the federal tax code, which is for social welfare groups. Unlike other charitable groups, these organizations are allowed to participate in political activities, but their primary activity must be social welfare.
That determination is up to the IRS.
The number of groups filing for this tax-exempt status more than doubled from 2010 to 2012, to more than 3,400. To handle the influx, the IRS centralized its review of these applications in an office in Cincinnati.
Lerner said on Friday this was done to develop expertise among staffers and consistency in their reviews. As part of the review, staffers look for signs that groups are participating in political activity. If so, IRS agents take a closer look to make sure that politics isn't the group's primary activity.
As part of this process, agents in Cincinnati came up with a list of things to look for in an application. As part of the list, they included the words "tea party" and "patriot," Lerner said.
"It's the line people that did it without talking to managers," Lerner told the AP on Friday. "They're IRS workers, they're revenue agents."
In all, about 300 groups were singled out for additional review, Lerner said. Of those, about a quarter were singled out because they had "tea party" or "patriot" somewhere in their applications.
Lerner said 150 of the cases have been closed and no group had its tax-exempt status revoked, though some withdrew their applications.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2013/05/11/irs-tea-party_n_3260286.html
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Randall
Webmaster Posts: 27783
From: Saturn next to Charmainec
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted May 11, 2013 07:38 PM
Interesting to see Beck targeted. IP: Logged |
juniperb
Moderator Posts: 6694
From: Blue Star Kachina
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted May 12, 2013 09:25 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Randall:
Interesting to see Beck targeted.
It doesn`t appear he was personally targeted but rather a group or project he created. quote:
The 9-12 Project is a group started by conservative TV personality Glenn Beck.
Foul business either way. Cronism ------------------
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Ami Anne
Moderator Posts: 41445
From: Pluto/house next to NickiG
Registered: Sep 2010
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posted May 12, 2013 09:45 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Randall:
Interesting to see Beck targeted.
Of course, he would be targeted. He is a true hero because he has all the money he needs, but yet puts himself on the line, every day fighting the corruption of Obama. Blessings to him and may God keep him and preserve him. 
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Ami Anne
Moderator Posts: 41445
From: Pluto/house next to NickiG
Registered: Sep 2010
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posted May 12, 2013 07:10 PM
Michelle Bachman, a hero and a saint, said that Obama was behind the release of the info on the IRS to get heat off Benghazi.------------------
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juniperb
Moderator Posts: 6694
From: Blue Star Kachina
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted May 12, 2013 07:19 PM
 The IRS is an independent agency. ------------------
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Ami Anne
Moderator Posts: 41445
From: Pluto/house next to NickiG
Registered: Sep 2010
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posted May 12, 2013 07:21 PM
quote:
Originally posted by juniperb:
The IRS is an independent agency.
Nothing is truly independent, my friend. Wake up and smell the coffee 
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