Remember the IRS scandal? I mean the one about how the Internal Revenue Service has been monkey-wrenching the applications for tax-exempt status submitted by politically non-leftward organizations (Tax Prof Blog has the latest).
But politically motivated clogging of an application process is just one way that the IRS abuses us. Victims of its normal forms of abuse have also been coming forward lately, seeing that they now have at least a temporarily receptive audience.
One such is Jeffrey Black, former employee of the Federal Air Marshal Service, who has long tried to fix the problems he sees with the Air Marshals. It seems that not every colleague appreciates it.
After retiring in 2010, Black appeared in a documentary (“Please Remove Your Shoes”) about the pseudo-security measures we have to endure at the airport. Why not? He couldn’t be fired any more, right? But the day the documentary premiered — “almost to the hour” — the IRS notified him that he was being audited. It also slapped a lien on his home.
In the end, their investigation turned up $480 that Black owed the IRS, which he paid; and $8,300 that the IRS owed Black, which IRS didn’t pay.
“Being a veteran of extensive retaliation … I am not surprised about this,” he told CNN. “It is basically the only way they can still … retaliate against me after I retired.”
The IRS denies that audits are ever politically motivated.
They deny many things.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
5 replies on “S.O.P. at the IRS”
There is a difference between coincidence and causation. I cannot side with Mr Black on the evidence presented. It would not surprise me to find one of his bosses “dropped a dime” on him, both that is different, an outsider using the IRS as a weapon is different than the IRA determining targets for improper reasons.
Reality is that power corrupts.
I have a way to end the IRS controversy. Eliminate the tax-exempt status for all organizations. That way the tea baggers won’t have any thing to complain about since they are nothing if not a political organization.
There isn’t one tea bagger organization that isn’t purely political.
What happened with Mr. Black’s home? Did the IRS release the lien? I have been privy of such IRS shenanigans in the past; ALL without reasonable cause — as is called for in the Constitution.
I don’t see what the first two comments (JFB & JFTR) have to do with the subject of the article. Obviously a couple of left wingers pushing their standard agenda.
The emporer has no clothes.
He denies it.
I have to disagree with you JATR about eliminating tax-exempt status for all organizations. Should your contributions to political organizations, or say placing a political ad be taxed? So if you spend $1000 to run a radio ad, you should be taxed on it? If you shouldn’t be taxed, then why should a group of people who pool their money to do the same thing be taxed?
A better approach, would be to eliminate all taxes on all organizations including corporations, and just taxing individuals on their income.
Or even better, reducing government to the powers our founders intended, and as a result eliminating the need for a personal or corporate income tax.