Posted on 05/17/2013 2:04:21 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Via the Examiner and NRO, a few more credible, confidence-inspiring breadcrumbs from this morning’s Ways and Means hearing. It’s starting to make sense now why protesting Planned Parenthood might present a risk to your tax-exempt status, isn’t it?
The second clip is of Miller saying that he did indeed ask his underlings who was targeting conservative groups, and they told him, but now he can’t remember the answer. Really. The disdain this guy harbors for the proceedings is palpable, but that’s probably in his best interest: The more antagonistic he is, the more liberal support he’ll have when the administration inevitably tries to find a new job for him at the IRS after this blows over. In the meantime, Miller’s loss is Fred Armisen’s gain, assuming SNL even attempts to tackle O’s scandals this weekend. Given what the show’s come to, maybe it’s best that they didn’t.
By the way, did anyone ask Miller the threshold question of why the IRS chose to spend so much time on penny-ante tea-party groups instead of the gigantic conservative and liberals 501(c)(4) orgs that have real influence on elections? Here’s what the Cincinnati office considered a priority:
The AP reviewed 990 tax returns for nonprofit groups that were made publicly available and posted on both the Guidestar and the Foundation Center websites, searching between 2009 and 2011 under the terms “tea party,” ”patriot” and other terms frequently used by tea party groups. Several tea party groups also made their tax returns available to the AP. The returns detailed revenues and expenses for the groups, as well as other details. Donors’ identifies, however, are shielded from disclosure under federal tax code provisions.
Only 21 of the 93 groups reported annual gross receipts higher than $25,000 between 2009 and 2011, according to the AP review. The $25,000 figure is a threshold for the IRS because an organization’s financial strength and revenue sources are important factors in determining its tax-exempt status. Nonprofit groups reporting less than $25,000 a year are allowed to file a short-form, postcard tax return instead of a detailed filing — one indication of a low-budget operation.
The median income for all the groups was just $16,700 a year. That figure includes several tea party organizations that boasted million-dollar budgets and a cluster of others with more than $100,000 in annual revenues. The well-funded activist groups were led by the Georgia-based Tea Party Patriots Inc., the nation’s biggest tea party group, which started out with more than $700,000 in annual revenues in 2009 and grew to $20.2 million annually in 2012.
Radley Balko noted on Twitter this morning that the amounts being thrown around here tend to undercut the sacred liberal talking point that the tea-party movement is merely corporate astroturf bankrolled by the Koch brothers to advance plutocratic interests. Suggested new narrative: The “plutocratic astroturf” theory is true, it’s just that the Kochs are … really, really stingy towards their puppets.
He didn't know if he had notes? Charge this guy with contempt and throw him in jail! Wouldn't a judge do that in a court of law? Why can't/shouldn't Congress?
The list, Ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
IRS = busybodies.... gossips...
You know what? WE ALL ought to STOP paying taxes until they go with a 10% flat tax - just get rid of these liars - I”M SICK of THEIR LYING CORRUPT STOOGES!
I heard that exchange.
The discussion was about this planted Q & A that the IRS did, to try to get the story out on their own terms, before the IG report.
When pressed on some of the details, he siad he would have to look at is notes...
There’s notes! Notes about the planning and damage control of planting a question in some forum, to slow walk the story on a Friday. I hope the committee subpoena’s all notes, emails, etc concerning that discussion.
What if IRS asked a Homosexual group for members donations, other organizations and activities?
The most common IRS response is: Ignorance of the law is no excuse. The commissioner is playing dumb. Didn’t Geithner pull the same BS?
and this is exactly how anyone who get audited should respond..... let’s just see if what is good for the goose if good for the gander
RE: a 10% flat tax
That really doesn’t get the IRS off your back. What is Income? That is the relevant question. If you happen to have a nice uncle who lives in Ireland who loves you and leaves you an inheritance there, THAT is income and the IRS can again snoop into your Irish account and demand 10% of that.
Want to leave your car to your son or daughter? HO HO HO, here comes the IRS demanding that your kids pay 10%.
The flat tax doesn’t solve the problem of the IRS having the power to peek into what you do in your life.
What we really need is to ABOLISH THE INCOME TAX and replace it with a NATIONAL SALES TAX.
This is unbelievable. We are living in another country. The USA has been transformed by the last two elections.
I blame the media. They did not do their job. A real media would have vetted Obama, whatever his real name is, and he would not have made it out of the primaries.
RE: this is exactly how anyone who get audited should respond..... let’s just see if what is good for the goose if good for the gander
Unfortunately the IRS doesn’t tolerate wise guys.
They will make your audit as painful as they can if you respond with that and you can’t do a damn thing about it.
The only solution is to find a way to abolish this agency and replace it with an agency that purely collect taxes without the power to audit your life.
Which is what a national sales tax does.
I agree the IRS is too powerful. But,the great difficulty with the so-called Fair Tax (the national sales tax you hope for) is that all purchases will go offshore to non-sales tax enitities. It is the problem states are fighting right now and cannot seem to find a solution. And, imagine the customers of the company you work for no longer buying from domestic companies, but rather everything on-line and off-shore...
I’m not a big fan of the “wall of separation” supposedly found in the First Amendment but if the commie libs are going to play that game, then what the IRS thugs did was a violation of the First Amendment. They should all be thrown in jail.
That is why the constitution established a means of capturing those taxes - it's called a TARIFF. Of course, our vaunted corporations will fight that tooth-and-nail!
If millions of us did it the snowball would gather so much steam we could put the entire government out of business!
F U B O ! and F U I R S !
A tariff is laid upon goods which are imported by companies for resale or inclusion in further manufacturing. Buying from offshore simply involves UPS items coming from Mexico/Caribbean/Japan/China/etc. Can you imagine them opening each package? Can't be done. How about self-asigned value? Hmmm. $ 0.
There is no way to capture each sale as it enters the US. AZ tried to compel folks to fess up to all purchases made from out-of-state sources so they could assess a "use tax". Results? Everyone said $ 0.
Talk about Sequester that would be a major sequester!
Gridlock! Problem is the Employer is the one that would be targeted for not sending in the amount with held or not witholding taxes.
The only way it could be sucessfull is if you claim 14 dependents on your w-4 form. However the taxes would be recovered April 15 when you cannot prove you have 14 dependents!
I would say you could handle 3 mos and then recover to the normal deduction. But to get all citizens to follow suit would be hard. Hell their scared $***less of the IRS anyway!
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