Isn’t it the job of the IRS to investigate tax-exempt organizations to make sure they really are legal? I sure want the IRS investigating organizations who accept anonymous money and spend it to affect elections.
Not to mention tax-exempt organizations who put up websites advocating overthrow of the US government or not paying taxes. Why should other taxpayers subsidize them?
Methinks conservatives doth protest too much.
8 Comments
Agree 100%. My first reaction to this “controversy” was that I was happy with the IRS for doing its job properly. When doing audits it would make sense to start with the groups that exist for the sole purpose of avoiding paying taxes.
Heard on my local NPR station that several liberal groups have come forward with stories of the IRS being very cautious before granting them tax-exempt status. The difference, of course, is the liberal groups don’t mind and didn’t make a big fuss about it.
Nah, the tea partiers are in the right on this one. We know for a fact that some IRS employees were given specific instructions to target tea party groups for investigation. It’s the same situation as the NYPD targeting minorities with their stop-and-frisk policy. Investigating people for crimes is one thing, singling out specific groups for your investigation is another.
Maybe this is unacceptable. However, what this shows is that profiling (like Brandon alludes), is apparently OK when it’s against individuals, but not OK when it’s against organizations. Yet another case of inverted rights.
No no no no no! Not another false equivalence!
Targeting tea party groups is not the same situation as profiling of minorities. Next thing you’re going to tell me is that it is unfair for the Justice department to keep an eye on members of NAMBLA to make sure they aren’t distributing child pornography.
The whole point of the IRS screening these groups before affording them tax-exempt status is to ensure that groups seeking it are not politically active. If there are a thousand tea party groups seeking tax-exempt status, I would not be alarmed if the IRS scrutinized every single one of them. After all, the Tea Party is a political movement, and groups associated with them are likely to be politically active. The same goes for Liberal groups.
This “scandal” was created thanks to ambiguous language in the Citizens United ruling when it came to defining the guidelines for 501 c 4 eligibility. I would rather there be heavy scrutiny than allow groups to have tax exemption that shouldn’t have it by law.
If the IRS was screening every group with conservative or liberal buzzwords in their name, that would be fine. The problem was that the IRS was screening tea party groups at a much higher rate than progressive groups. If it makes you feel any better, this is probably the only time I’m ever going to agree with the tea party on anything.
Iron Knee is EXACTLY correct. I would think that a group who’s name “Taxed Enough Already” would be a pretty good indicator that they will avoid paying taxes by all means necessary. Oh and gee whiz, aren’t those darn liberals always wanting to throw money at the government in the form of higher taxes?
Welcome to the Plutocracy! PBS has been put in a position were David Koch could “buy” them.