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Evan Thomas · May 18, 2013, 06:17 PM

A story from CBS today suggests that the real scandal may be not so much a partisan one, but rather the fact that the IRS has targeted small, local groups instead of going after the major, "deep-pockets" organizations that have sprung up as 501(c)(4)s since the Citizens' United decision on both sides of the political divide, and which are dedicated to political spending rather than social welfare, which is supposed to be their primary purpose.

A Senate investigative panel led by Democrat Carl Levin of Michigan and Republican John McCain of Arizona has been reviewing the use of social welfare groups for political causes for the past year and now is examining the agency's handling of the tax-exempt reviews.

And in a letter to congressional investigators Thursday, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., urged the House Ways and Means Committee not to ignore the influx of groups that may be abusing the tax code as part of its upcoming IRS probe, saying: "I hope we can remove the incentive for any group, regardless of its political orientation, to seek 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status to engage in significant political campaign activities while hiding their donors."

It was clear from the get-go that this kind of abuse and corruption would follow from the Citizens' United decision. If the current IRS scandal brings this to light, some good may come of it.

May 18, 2013, 06:17 PM	#31
Evan Thomas Senior Member Join Date: July 7, 2008 Location: Upper midwest Posts: 5,631	A story from CBS today suggests that the real scandal may be not so much a partisan one, but rather the fact that the IRS has targeted small, local groups instead of going after the major, "deep-pockets" organizations that have sprung up as 501(c)(4)s since the Citizens' United decision on both sides of the political divide, and which are dedicated to political spending rather than social welfare, which is supposed to be their primary purpose. A Senate investigative panel led by Democrat Carl Levin of Michigan and Republican John McCain of Arizona has been reviewing the use of social welfare groups for political causes for the past year and now is examining the agency's handling of the tax-exempt reviews. And in a letter to congressional investigators Thursday, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., urged the House Ways and Means Committee not to ignore the influx of groups that may be abusing the tax code as part of its upcoming IRS probe, saying: "I hope we can remove the incentive for any group, regardless of its political orientation, to seek 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status to engage in significant political campaign activities while hiding their donors." It was clear from the get-go that this kind of abuse and corruption would follow from the Citizens' United decision. If the current IRS scandal brings this to light, some good may come of it. __________________ Never let anything mechanical know you're in a hurry.