IRS admits to targeting conservative groups

by Paul Kersey The Internal Revenue Service has acknowledged that some of its agents targeted conservative and small government groups for unjustified scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status prior to the 2012 election: IRS agents singled out dozens of organizations for additional reviews because they included the words “tea party” or “patriot” in their exemption applications,...

by Paul Kersey

The Internal Revenue Service has acknowledged that some of its agents targeted conservative and small government groups for unjustified scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status prior to the 2012 election:

IRS agents singled out dozens of organizations for additional reviews because they included the words “tea party” or “patriot” in their exemption applications, said Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups. In some cases, groups were asked for lists of donors, which violates IRS policy in most cases, she said.

…

“That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive and it was inappropriate. That’s not how we go about selecting cases for further review,” Lerner said at a conference sponsored by the American Bar Association.

“The IRS would like to apologize for that,” she added.

Meanwhile, government worker unions, which consistently advocate for big government, continue to operate with little scrutiny in Illinois and most other states. These groups continue to receive millions of dollars of taxpayer-guaranteed funds in the form of union dues.

So using your own money to advocate limited government is inherently suspect. But using taxpayer-guaranteed money to push for a more intrusive government is hunky dory.