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IRS conspiracies fall apart as BOLO list targeting ‘progressive’ groups revealed

This is another reason why the IRS should be reduced in size and power by about 99%.

Make all tax rates (both income and capital gains) the same for everyone.

Eliminate all deductions except charitable contributions.

Eliminate corporate taxes.


Instant tax equality and taxation simplicity for all.


And the bloody IRS then only needs to be a shell of it's present, pathetically bloated size.
 
Or perhaps there is still smoke:

The documents don’t show that Tea Party groups and progressives were treated equally. In fact, they suggest that the entries on the BOLO derived from separate efforts to police applications for tax-exempt status for political activity...

Even on the first BOLO released, from August 2010, progressives are listed under the label of TAG Historical, short for Touch-and-Go Historical, or issues that had been raised in the past. Tea Party is listed under Emerging Issues.
IRS Look at Progressive Groups Complicates Controversy - Bloomberg

So they weren't treated the same but the fact that progressives were 'targeted' makes it ok...

Considering this:

The IRS took several weeks to release yesterday’s documents, because it had to scrub the be-on-the-lookout lists of taxpayer-specific information before making them public. The BOLO mostly consists of redacted information.

How do we know what we think we know...this time?
 
:lol: :doh This illegal targetting using BOLO lists was done by the IRS as standard practice up until one month ago but it was OK. No sanctions (criminal charges?) against those IRS employees that used the "official" BOLO list will be made since it has been discontinued. All is now well - until the next BOLO list is made, of course. No harm, no foul, nothing to see here folks just move along... :roll:

Non profit fraud is a real and common thing.

I think they were sloppy, but how are they supposed to determine who's legit?

This was all in response to the explosion of applications post Citizens United.
 
This whole brouhaha is beginning to reek especially now. The premise of the ‘scandal’ was ‘right leaning’ organizations being targeted. The IG report came out and said similar and we have been lead to believe that there were no use of ‘left leaning’ terms in the targeting (BOLO’s). But now…? Suddenly the Congressional Democrats come out with a source that kinda says ‘hey lookie here, the IRS targeted ‘left leaning’ organizations too’. Why wasn’t this revealed weeks ago?

Incompetence abounds…

The original numbers show that not all targeted were "conservative".

So other groups were "targeted" as well, using different criteria.

The "groups with progressive sounding names were also targeted" has been part of the dialogue all along, just no specific names.
 
This is another reason why the IRS should be reduced in size and power by about 99%.

Make all tax rates (both income and capital gains) the same for everyone.

Eliminate all deductions except charitable contributions.

Eliminate corporate taxes.


Instant tax equality and taxation simplicity for all.


And the bloody IRS then only needs to be a shell of it's present, pathetically bloated size.

I don't believe you would enjoy living the country that would be the result of your fantasies.
 
This is another reason why the IRS should be reduced in size and power by about 99%.

Make all tax rates (both income and capital gains) the same for everyone.

Eliminate all deductions except charitable contributions.

Eliminate corporate taxes.


Instant tax equality and taxation simplicity for all.


And the bloody IRS then only needs to be a shell of it's present, pathetically bloated size.

Why should corporate taxes be eliminated since they enjoy benefits that come from the government and the use of public resources more than any individual would? Part of what has made the US a good place to do business is the infrastructure, education system, law enforcement and rescue workers, and things like public assistance for commercial creation and expansion. Those things cost money, and without them the US would not be anywhere near as desirable to set up shop. This idea that corporations should be above taxes makes little sense. Even though they put more of a strain on public systems and require much more oversight than any individual would I just think they should pay equally as an individual would.

you really want to put all the tax burden in the US on the workers in the US?
 
Once again, the scandal involves what happened to these groups. Targeting is one issue. The other issue is not making timely determinations as to the status of the applicants. If all groups were targeted but only Tea Party groups were dumped into the "limbo" pile then it's still abuse.

That all depends on what defines as "timely determinations". Some consider a timely determination as a couple of weeks or months, some might make considerations with all the urgency of continental drift.
 
I don't believe you would enjoy living the country that would be the result of your fantasies.
Then you obviously have no idea what I enjoy.

I would not enjoy living in a country where everyone pays the same tax rate - regardless of their income?

And every single sane adult can do their own taxes in less then five minutes?

You are darn right I would want to live in a country like that.
 
Non profit fraud is a real and common thing.

I think they were sloppy, but how are they supposed to determine who's legit?

This was all in response to the explosion of applications post Citizens United.

By treating them all the same, not by using BOLO lists to try to single out certain political buzz words for "special" extra consideration or just plain infinite delay in making a decision. When they investigated themselves they certainly figured it out that was "illegal", but somehow determined that doing it wrong was really OK just that different folks were then in placed in charge to re-interpret the situation.
 
Then you obviously have no idea what I enjoy.

I would not enjoy living in a country where everyone pays the same tax rate - regardless of their income?

And every single sane adult can do their own taxes in less then five minutes?

You are darn right I would want to live in a country like that.

And my dog would love to run wild through the woods. She's certain that would be a very fine thing to do. But she's a dog, and so she doesn't understand the consequences of getting lost.

Just as you don't understand the consequences of what you propose. Take the flat tax, for example. You seem to think it would make it easier to fill out your tax forms. Tsk, tsk. So naive.

Figuring out the tax rate you have to pay is the easiest part of filing your income taxes. Once you know how much income you have, all you have to do is look up the tax rate in a simple table:

2013 Tax Brackets | Tax Foundation

The complicated part is calculating your income, something that even a flat tax requires one to do.
 
Unless of course you consider that Nixon went after both sides of the aisle for leaks such as the Pentagon papers, as I believe Obama and the NSA should with the Snowden leaks. And why don't we just show proof that there are so many tax cheats using ex-IRS agents to defraud the USA. The IRS should stay after all tax cheats on all sides and not tinkle on them when they are on fire.




That's really sad for those on the right who couldn't get control of the White House by winning an election and are now trying to sneak in any way that they can find, fair or foul.




"Better days are coming." ~ But not for today's out of touch, running out of time, GOP.
 
IRS conspiracies fall apart as BOLO list targeting ‘progressive’ groups revealed



Awwww... it looks like yet another phoney outrage and manufactured story to make the Democrats (particularly Obama) look bad, unprofessional, deceitful and evil has gone up in smoke. Will Issa eat a whole ****ing humble pie for himself, or will he still pretend (like those who suffer from tinfoilasitis), that the big bad IRS -- no matter the evidence -- IS still after the poor and victimized widdle wight wingers? So many here were duped big time and it seems to be a common occurrence in this days of misinformation. So, to those who fell hook line and sinker... how does this new information make you feel and how will you approach the next "scandal"? I am seriously curious.

Funny thing, there are some major concrete things to be upset with the Obama Administration, including the fact that they have done pretty much nothing to change the regulations of the banking industry... an industry that almost collapsed the American economy. Amazing that it seems few are angry about this, yet get a boner with incredibly stupid stories like the IRS.

IRS conspiracies fall apart as BOLO list targeting ‘progressive’ groups revealed | The Raw Story

Where are the progressive groups that applied and were told that if they just would stop protesting the NRA, they would get their application approved?
 
Where are the progressive groups that applied and were told that if they just would stop protesting the NRA, they would get their application approved?

Don't you think there are enough fabricated facts? Sheesh, you want more? Does the truth not matter to you?
 
Don't you think there are enough fabricated facts? Sheesh, you want more? Does the truth not matter to you?

Since Levin is stating that progressive groups were targeted, where are their complaints?
 
IRS conspiracies fall apart as BOLO list targeting ‘progressive’ groups revealed



Awwww... it looks like yet another phoney outrage and manufactured story to make the Democrats (particularly Obama) look bad, unprofessional, deceitful and evil has gone up in smoke. Will Issa eat a whole ****ing humble pie for himself, or will he still pretend (like those who suffer from tinfoilasitis), that the big bad IRS -- no matter the evidence -- IS still after the poor and victimized widdle wight wingers? So many here were duped big time and it seems to be a common occurrence in this days of misinformation. So, to those who fell hook line and sinker... how does this new information make you feel and how will you approach the next "scandal"? I am seriously curious.

Funny thing, there are some major concrete things to be upset with the Obama Administration, including the fact that they have done pretty much nothing to change the regulations of the banking industry... an industry that almost collapsed the American economy. Amazing that it seems few are angry about this, yet get a boner with incredibly stupid stories like the IRS.

IRS conspiracies fall apart as BOLO list targeting ‘progressive’ groups revealed | The Raw Story

So...um...why did the IRS apologize for wrong doing?
 
The IRS killed Martin Luther King Jr

Why else would they apologize for wrongdoing?
 
By treating them all the same, not by using BOLO lists to try to single out certain political buzz words for "special" extra consideration or just plain infinite delay in making a decision. When they investigated themselves they certainly figured it out that was "illegal", but somehow determined that doing it wrong was really OK just that different folks were then in placed in charge to re-interpret the situation.

This whole debacle was due to Citizens United.

It was about anonymous donations to political campaigns.

That's the difference between a 501(c)(4) and a 525.

There was a fifty percent increase in applications.

Common sense says that a good proportion of those new apps were made to facilitate anonymous donations, NOT "social welfare".

How exactly were those in the relevant department supposed to sort the wheat from the chaff, as it were?

Preventing fraud/abuse of the non-profit system is their responsibility. They came up with a questionable method, but I'm not sure what else they could have done, besides rubber stamp every application and hope they were bing honest about their purpose.

The funny thing is they can operate as a 501(c)(4) in anticipation of approval for a long time and be granted exemption retroactively.

But their donors are at risk of being "outed" if the group they donated to is denied.

So if they didn't get donations because their status wasn't established, their donors weren't interested in the "social welfare" aspects to begin with. They just wanted anonymous attack ads
 
Since Levin is stating that progressive groups were targeted, where are their complaints?

From what I gather, progressive groups doing the same damn thing choose generic sounding names, as did conservative groups.

Americans for Prosperity vs. Tea Party Patriots.

Note the word "Party" in the latter name?

"Parties" don't qualify for 501(c)(4) status, as they are political entities.
 
This whole debacle was due to Citizens United.

It was about anonymous donations to political campaigns.

That's the difference between a 501(c)(4) and a 525.

There was a fifty percent increase in applications.

Common sense says that a good proportion of those new apps were made to facilitate anonymous donations, NOT "social welfare".

How exactly were those in the relevant department supposed to sort the wheat from the chaff, as it were?

Preventing fraud/abuse of the non-profit system is their responsibility. They came up with a questionable method, but I'm not sure what else they could have done, besides rubber stamp every application and hope they were bing honest about their purpose.

The funny thing is they can operate as a 501(c)(4) in anticipation of approval for a long time and be granted exemption retroactively.

But their donors are at risk of being "outed" if the group they donated to is denied.

So if they didn't get donations because their status wasn't established, their donors weren't interested in the "social welfare" aspects to begin with. They just wanted anonymous attack ads

Since when is it the responsibility of the executive agencies to make law? What does the IRS code say about this matter? Even when the IRS "investigated themselves" they found this practice to be illegal, yet somehow there was no "wrongdoing" by any person found. Only in our federal gov't can things be both illegal "at that time" but now OK since they stopped doing those illegal things.
 
Since when is it the responsibility of the executive agencies to make law? What does the IRS code say about this matter? Even when the IRS "investigated themselves" they found this practice to be illegal, yet somehow there was no "wrongdoing" by any person found. Only in our federal gov't can things be both illegal "at that time" but now OK since they stopped doing those illegal things.

Was it "illegal" or "improper"? I honestly don't remember.

And its not their job to MAKE the laws but to enforce them.

They were trying to determine who was legit and who wasn't. HOW they did it was "inappropriate". But SOME kind of means of separating the eligible from the ineligible was necessary.

What's so wrong about including the names in the sorting process.

You have "The Long Beach Tennis Club" and the "Tea Party Patriots". Which one is more likely to be ineligible for 501(c)(4) status? "Parties" aren't eligible, remember.
 
Once again, the scandal involves what happened to these groups. Targeting is one issue. The other issue is not making timely determinations as to the status of the applicants. If all groups were targeted but only Tea Party groups were dumped into the "limbo" pile then it's still abuse.

Not one single organization was denied no matter what they were called. I was hoping this would lead to reviewing exemption of charitable orgs but I guess that will not be happening. Our whole tax code is a joke!
 
Was it "illegal" or "improper"? I honestly don't remember.

And its not their job to MAKE the laws but to enforce them.

They were trying to determine who was legit and who wasn't. HOW they did it was "inappropriate". But SOME kind of means of separating the eligible from the ineligible was necessary.

What's so wrong about including the names in the sorting process.

You have "The Long Beach Tennis Club" and the "Tea Party Patriots". Which one is more likely to be ineligible for 501(c)(4) status? "Parties" aren't eligible, remember.

That is pure nonsense. Either you subject all such applications to "the tests" or none of them. You use the same nonsense that Obama did to justify "sorting" or "prioritizing" which illegal immigrants get our "dreamy" judicial attention. That is clearly insane since one first has to have already determined that they are, in fact, illegal aliens in order to simply set them free.

I am sick and tired of the "lack of resources" excuse, as it amounts to pure extortion; give us more money or we will do as we darn well please.
 
Not one single organization was denied no matter what they were called. I was hoping this would lead to reviewing exemption of charitable orgs but I guess that will not be happening. Our whole tax code is a joke!

If groups are denied (or approved) in a timely manner and in accordance with basic guidelines it's not so much problem. Where things went off the rails is that there was no approval or denial for these groups. They just sat there in the "inbox" for years on end.
 
Now we learn that it isn’t just the fringe right that was targeted, the fringe left were also targeted.

And to make the story even more wacky, obots are celebrating this as if it is good news.

The corporate shills that run government were targeting the groups unhappy with how corporate shills run government. Can you obots explain the cause for your celebrations, it seems seriously misguided to me?
 
That is pure nonsense. Either you subject all such applications to "the tests" or none of them. You use the same nonsense that Obama did to justify "sorting" or "prioritizing" which illegal immigrants get our "dreamy" judicial attention. That is clearly insane since one first has to have already determined that they are, in fact, illegal aliens in order to simply set them free.

I am sick and tired of the "lack of resources" excuse, as it amounts to pure extortion; give us more money or we will do as we darn well please.

Ever wonder why they waited so.long to make an issue of this?

They certainly knew at the time.

Most who are up in arms completely forgot that it was about CU.

Do you think they would have gotten the traction they have when the idea of unlimited anonymous donations was fresh in everybodys minds?

Of course not. It would have been clear what was going on.

So they waited until Americas short attention span kicked in and THEN made a big deal about it.

Making it appear they were being picked on instead of trying to game the system to facilitate anonymous donations.

There was a REASON applications increased 50%. The Citizens United decision and the promise of anonymity 501(c)(4)s offered.

Pumping millions of dollars of anonymous money into the election.

Nothing more, nothing less.

I'm frankly appalled so many are championing this behavior.
 
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