In a press conference on Monday, President Obama called the reports about the IRS “outrageous” and intolerable while saying he would reserve harsher judgment for when the full report is formally released.
This response comes after the news broke last Friday that the IRS had targeted groups with the words “Tea Party” or “Patriot” in their name, forcing them to fill out further questionnaires and provide more information in order to get approval for their tax-exempt status. Over the weekend, it was additionally reported that the IRS had also given extra scrutiny to organizations that focused on government spending, debt and taxes. All of this activity was said to be going on during the lead-up to the 2012 elections.
The investigation into the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups reveals that high-ranking IRS officials knew about this practice as early as 2011. The new disclosures have been causing much controversy over the way IRS handled applications by tea-party, patriot and other conservative groups for tax-exempt status.
Lawmakers have responded with anger and outrage and a full investigation is underway which includes a complete audit of the IRS’s handling of the applications process. The report is expected to be released this week.
On top of all the IRS scrutiny, May 24th marks the first of five scheduled furlough days for the IRS workforce. The IRS will shut down completely and taxpayers and practitioners will not have access to IRS resources. Currently, the IRS brings in 93% of the revenue used to fund the federal government…When it rains, it certainly pours.
We’ll continue to keep you updated with more information as the story progresses.