IRS: ‘Mistakes We Made Won’t Be Repeated’

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM

IGOR BOBIC 10:57 AM EDT, TUESDAY MAY 14, 2013

The Internal Revenue Service says it has corrected the mistakes it made when it inappropriately singled out conservative non-profit groups for additional reviews during the 2012 election, and it has implemented new procedures to ensure they don't happen again.

Steven Miller, the acting commissioner of the IRS, wrote in a USA Today op-ed Monday that while mistakes were made, "they were in no way due to any political or partisan motivation. We are — and will continue to be — dedicated to reviewing all applications for tax-exempt status in an impartial manner."

Miller was briefed on the matter internally on May 3, 2012 but failed to alert Congress. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) have called on Miller to step down in the wake of the scandal. The Washington Post reported Monday night that IRS agents in Washington were also involved in the process.

In his op-ed, Miller admits the challenging nature of the task set before the IRS: accurately screen tax-exempt 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) applications from organizations seeking "social welfare" status.

-snip-



Read more: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/irs-mistakes-we-made-wont-be-repeated

[uppityperson]

1. I am conflicted. On the 1 hand don't like singling out a group as it could go both ways, on the

other hand, am highly amused. I wonder what the ratio of corrupt/inaccurate "conservative" vs liberal non-profit groups is. Who cheats the most?

[Qutzupalotl]

6. If I had to guess, I'd say it's the groups founded on anti-tax ideals.

If you publicly advocate armed rebellion, bomb-making or assassination, you'll get a visit from agents of the FBI, because you're seen as a threat. A similar thing here: if you advocate eliminating the income tax, you're more likely to skirt tax law.

[Ganja Ninja]

2. IRS: "We've learned our place and will stick to investigating only the left."

"What were we thinking?"

[Bully Taw]

3. Wow!

"they were in no way due to any political or partisan motivation. We are — and will continue to be — dedicated to reviewing all applications for tax-exempt status in an impartial manner." - Steven Miller, acting commissioner of the IRS

This sounds very "Nixonian". We have seen that this scandal has gone into the upper reaches of the IRS, and I do hope that it does not go any further up. Nixon's legacy is Watergate. It would turn my stomach to have our current POTUS tainted in history similarly after so much positive work.

[Qutzupalotl]

7. low-level operatives in Ohio, not upper reaches of the IRS. n/t

[Bully Taw]

8. perhaps this will help

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/05/14/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-irs-scandal-in-one-faq/

[meow2u3]

4. I smell a rat with this so-called "IRS Tea Party scandal"

Teabaggers are just like every other bully; they can dish it out, but can't take it. It's all a tempest in a teabag designed to poison the well and shield the far right from scrutiny.

The sheer volume of applications for tax-exempt status as "social welfare" organizations from dark-money teabagger groups was the real reason for the auditing. Yet contrary to the phony outrage from teabaggers, liberal groups were targeted and some had their tax-exempt status revoked.

[Dollface]

5. I recommend the ProPublica 2012 series, "Buying Your Vote, Dark Money and Big Data"

especially, "How Nonprofits Spend Millions on Elections and Call it Public Welfare"

I've been following stories about the abuse of the 501(c)(4) designation since Carl Levin pointed out some the issues arising from Citizen United (sometime in 2011) and this article is excellent giving examples of abuse and naming the organizations. Republicans have also been whining about the IRS examination of exempt status applications since 2011.

I also liked Ezra Klein's May 13 article. "The good reasons for the IRS’s dumb mistake" which talks about the reasons why IRS may have profiled certain groups based on their names or the wording in their applications.

(I'm not a total tax geek. This is sort of job related although extracurricular. I'm not a revenuer BTW.)