Whether you believe the IRS's targeting of various tax-exempt organizations was some poorly executed enforcement by overwhelmed Service employees or a deliberate plan hatched by political operatives to harass their opponents, is of little consequence. No one — with exception of maybe Darrell Issa — cares.
Scandal or no scandal, what's NOT up for debate is the fact that the IRS is a giant conundrumfuck of an agency and organizations like Tax Analysts have been doing their best to educate interested parties, the Service can make improvements, and that way something like this doesn't have to happen again.
That sounds pretty futile just on its own and yet the IRS has even managed to irritate Tax Analysts to the point that action became necessary:
Tax Analysts, the nonprofit provider of federal, state, and international tax news and analysis, today announced that it has filed a legal action against the IRS, asking a federal court to force the agency to comply with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and provide training materials used for its guidance in exempt organizations determinations.The legal action comes after Tax Analysts sought and was granted expedited processing of its FOIA request, but the IRS responded with repeated delays.
Tax Analysts president and publisher Chris Bergin explains that the group didn't want to do it. They felt like they owed it to them:
“Clearly, we do not view our action here lightly. But this is important information, and the press and the public have the right to this information and to get it in a timely fashion,” said Christopher E. Bergin, president and publisher of Tax Analysts.“We have tried patiently to work with the IRS and have listened carefully to the agency’s concerns, but the IRS has left us no other path,” Bergin added. “Apparently, and unfortunately, the greater the public interest, the more difficult it is to get expedited treatment to a request for information. That is not how this is supposed to work.”
You're disappointing all of us, IRS. Again.
Commissioner Doug Shulman said in a statement today that the agency would make it easier for taxpayers to seek withdrawal of liens when they pay a tax debt or make arrangements to pay in installments for debts of less than $25,000. The agency also raised the dollar thresholds before liens are typically filed. “We are making fundamental changes to our lien system and other collection tools that will help taxpayers and give them a fresh start,” Shulman said in the statement. “These steps are good for people facing tough times, and they reflect a responsible approach for the tax system.” [