US Conservatives Fear Supercharged IRS Will Go After Poor, Resort to Partisan Bias
This April 13, 2014 file photo shows the headquarters of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in Washington. 
InternationalIndiaAfricaRepublican politicians are concerned that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will use additional funds under the Inflation Reduction Act to target conservatives, even though Biden’s nominee to lead the Internal Revenue Service, Daniel Werfel, insisted that the agency will go after America’s highest earners.The US conservative media are continuing to raise alarm over President Joe Biden’s decision to beef up the country’s revenue service by funding a staggering 87,000 IRS agents.The Center Square, a conservative news service, alleged on Monday that the US president’s initiative has triggered fears that the new rash of auditing may target poorer Americans or be politically motivated.The crux of the matter is that such precedents have already occurred. In May 2013, the IRS under the Obama administration admitted that it deliberately targeted groups with “tea party” or “patriot” in their names, thus confirming allegations voiced by US conservatives between 2010 and 2012 that their applications for tax-exempt status had been improperly delayed and scrutinized.The IRS purge was explained as “absolutely inappropriate” by some “front-line people.” About 300 conservative groups were affected; out of them 130 have had their tax-exempt status eventually approved while 25 withdrew their applications.
AmericasUnder Biden Federal Agencies Turned Into Instrument of Intimidation, FBI Whistleblower Says20 January, 13:00 GMTThe explosive disclosure led to the condemnation of the IRS and triggered a series of investigations into the matter including an FBI criminal probe. The political storm has raged for several years – in October 2017 the US press reported pending lawsuits filed against the IRS by conservative groups.Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions stated at the time: “There is no excuse for this conduct. Hundreds of organizations were affected by these actions, and they deserve an apology from the IRS. We hope that today’s settlement makes clear that this abuse of power will not be tolerated.” Eventually, the IRS reached a $3.5 million settlement with hundreds of Tea Party groups in 2018 and issued an apology to them.However, the Biden administration’s push to further staff and fund the IRS with an additional $80 billion evoked strong memories of the partisan wound. In August 2022, the Texas Tea Party warned that the IRS is known for political bias, suggesting that the situation could get worse if the number of agents doubles. These concerns were apparently amplified by Joe Biden’s Department of Justice (DoJ) and FBI’s “manhunt” for January Sixers, who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and a crackdown against Donald Trump’s associates and Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement’s figures.
AmericasTulsi Gabbard Blasts Biden for Sending Cash to Kiev While Squeezing Americans Using IRS Agent Army19 November 2022, 18:05 GMTThe Center Square has quoted the Informing America Foundation’s recent report that claimed that “the IRS is [still] targeting low-income Americans and conservative nonprofits.”In 2021, it turned out that the IRS had earlier denied a Christian group nonprofit status because “Bible teachings are typically affiliated with the [Republican] party and candidates,” as an agent, who made the ruling, justified his decision. Christians Engaged, the group in question, managed to overturn the IRS decision at the time.Furthermore, the conservative media expressed bewilderment over the IRS 2023 program to crack down on tip reporting from waiters and waitresses, asking what happened to the agency’s plans to go after the rich after getting additional funding.However, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) revealed in August 2022, that at least $20 billion of the revenue Democrats hope to collect from taxpayers with an expanded IRS would come from lower- and middle-income earners and small businesses.In January 2023, Republican lawmakers who gained control over the lower chamber of the US Congress this year passed a bill that would nullify the additional funding intended for the IRS expansion. However, the US press noted at the time that the proposal has little if any chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate.
