First They Came For . . .

note the interesting criterion:

“a special unit in the D.C. office to determine whether the organization’s activities contradict the Administration’s public policies.” . . .

... but as our President just told the college kids in Texas ... there's no tyranny here.

IRS Inquisition Update

By  Kevin Williamson

May 11, 2013 9:40 AM

 

Along with targeting tea-party groups, the IRS may also have given extra-special attention to the tax-exempt status of some Jewish groups for political reasons.
From the Jewish Press:

The passionately pro-Israel organization Z STREET filed a lawsuit against the IRS, claiming it had been told by an IRS agent that because the organization was “connected to Israel,” its application for tax-exempt status would receive additional scrutiny.  This admission was made in response to a query about the lengthy review of Z STREET’s tax exempt status application.
In addition, the IRS agent told a Z STREET representative that the applications of some of those Israel-related organizations have been assigned to “a special unit in the D.C. office to determine whether the organization’s activities contradict the Administration’s public policies.” . . .
And at least one purely religious Jewish organization, one not focused on Israel, was the recipient of bizarre and highly inappropriate questions about Israel.  Those questions also came from the same non-profit division of the IRS at issue for inappropriately targeting politically conservative groups. The IRS required that Jewish organization to state “whether [it] supports the existence of the land of Israel,” and also demanded the organization “[d]escribe [its] religious belief system toward the land of Israel.”

More bureaucratic snafus?

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/348013/irs-inquisition-update

Particulars are spelled out in Z Street's complaint:  http://www.zstreet.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=258%3Az-st-v-irs-amended-complaint&catid=1&Itemid=39  . 

Following Z Street, IRS "inappropriately targeted" politically conservative groups, as the IRS admitted on Friday - - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRS_POLITICAL_GROUPS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-05-11-19-11-24  //  http://cnsnews.com/news/article/ways-and-means-irs-provide-all-communications-containing-words-tea-party-patriot-or  .

Z Street lawsuit update, 2/23/12:  http://www.zstreet.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=139&Itemid=42

About Z Street:  http://www.zstreet.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=2

About Obamacare compliance and the IRS:  http://finance.yahoo.com/news/comes-health-care-reform-irs-141304443.html   //   http://www.atr.org/obamacare-taxpayers-must-report-personal-health-a7611