4 ms·

we have political opposition groups targeted for audits That could be extremely ugly politics, or it may not be. Paying special attention to tax status complia

we have political opposition groups targeted for audits That could be extremely ugly politics, or it may not be. Paying special attention to tax status compliance of anti-tax activists might just be a pragmatic profiling. Kind of like giving extra attention to young men flying alone on one way tickets while checking no luggage.

hga 13y ago
You really should check your facts before simply repeating the current party line. The acknowledged scope of the targeted investigations is so wildly beyond "anti-tax activists" the mind boggles. And see also e.g. Z Street's allegations about being questioned WRT to its views et. al. of Israel.
- MartinCron 13y ago
  simply repeating the current party line No, the party line is that that targeting some groups is "Outrageous". I'm taking the unpopular contrarian position that maybe some organizations are more prone to be compliant with tax laws than others.
  - gyardley 13y ago
    The same office released the confidential application documents of conservative groups to ProPublica. http://www.propublica.org/article/irs-office-that-targeted-tea-party-also-disclosed-confidential-docs http://www.propublica.org/article/irs-office-that-targeted-t... Perhaps you could argue that digging into these groups was being 'prudent', if that was in fact all they did. (I'm not buying it - being opposed to taxation has nothing to do with the eligibility requirements for a 501c4.) But whatever could be the justification for sharing a confidential application with the press, if not partisan politics? That's actually a felony, not that anyone will ever be charged.
  - knowtheory 13y ago
    There is a question of governance that trancends party politics and reducing it to partisanship does the discussion a serious disservice. I'd go so far as to say that the forces who benefit from the status quo (lobbying groups of varyi g forms, and corps who've politically engineered circumstances they take advantage of) prefer discussions of governance framed as partisan he said she said arguments. What is in question here is competence in government and how tax exempt orgs are regulated.
  - hga 13y ago
    Echoing gyardley and knowtheory, this is not even a particularly partisan issue. Most of these groups represent existential threats to the national Republican party and its "establishment" members, such as ex-Senator Lugar, who is now spending more time with his family after getting primaried in 2012.
angersock 13y ago
"Kind of like giving extra attention to young men flying alone on one way tickets while checking no luggage." That's the only way I travel right now. Pragmatic or not, that's bullshit.
- MartinCron 13y ago
  Always alone? That's a shame.

hga 13y ago

You really should check your facts before simply repeating the current party line. The acknowledged scope of the targeted investigations is so wildly beyond "anti-tax activists" the mind boggles. And see also e.g. Z Street's allegations about being questioned WRT to its views et. al. of Israel.

MartinCron 13y ago
simply repeating the current party line No, the party line is that that targeting some groups is "Outrageous". I'm taking the unpopular contrarian position that maybe some organizations are more prone to be compliant with tax laws than others.
- gyardley 13y ago
  The same office released the confidential application documents of conservative groups to ProPublica. http://www.propublica.org/article/irs-office-that-targeted-tea-party-also-disclosed-confidential-docs http://www.propublica.org/article/irs-office-that-targeted-t... Perhaps you could argue that digging into these groups was being 'prudent', if that was in fact all they did. (I'm not buying it - being opposed to taxation has nothing to do with the eligibility requirements for a 501c4.) But whatever could be the justification for sharing a confidential application with the press, if not partisan politics? That's actually a felony, not that anyone will ever be charged.
- knowtheory 13y ago
  There is a question of governance that trancends party politics and reducing it to partisanship does the discussion a serious disservice. I'd go so far as to say that the forces who benefit from the status quo (lobbying groups of varyi g forms, and corps who've politically engineered circumstances they take advantage of) prefer discussions of governance framed as partisan he said she said arguments. What is in question here is competence in government and how tax exempt orgs are regulated.
- hga 13y ago
  Echoing gyardley and knowtheory, this is not even a particularly partisan issue. Most of these groups represent existential threats to the national Republican party and its "establishment" members, such as ex-Senator Lugar, who is now spending more time with his family after getting primaried in 2012.

angersock 13y ago

"Kind of like giving extra attention to young men flying alone on one way tickets while checking no luggage." That's the only way I travel right now. Pragmatic or not, that's bullshit.

MartinCron 13y ago
Always alone? That's a shame.