When It Comes to Health-Care Reform, the IRS Rules

[nutmeg]

"The IRS also has to determine how to distribute annual subsidies to 18 million people who make less than $45,000 a year and thus qualify for subsidies in buying health coverage, as well as how to deliver tax credits to small businesses that buy coverage for workers."

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I find this odd. I thought Congress wrote the rules which govern the IRS and the IRS rules on the rules.

Is this something new?

The reason I find this annoying is ta da, another agency that is not elected write rules.

 

[piezoe]

Yes, you are correct. Congress makes the rules. This IRS stuff is implementation, not rules. The IRS, for practical reasons, has some leeway when it comes to deciding on the most efficient way to implement the rules.

 

[clacy]

Quote from piezoe:

Yes, you are correct. Congress makes the rules. This IRS stuff is implementation, not rules. The IRS, for practical reasons, has some leeway when it comes to deciding on the most efficient way to implement the rules.

Emphasis on the word "leeway" under Obama. Basically, if you're a political enemy of the White House, the IRS will not like you.

Obama and the IRS has crossed a very dangerous threshold by targeting conservative groups.

 

[Lucrum]

Quote from clacy:

...Obama and the IRS has crossed a very dangerous threshold by targeting conservative groups.

Probably the tip of the iceberg and I won't be surprised to see a lot more similar actions from our federal government in the future.

 

[clacy]

Quote from Lucrum:

Probably the tip of the iceberg and I won't be surprised to see a lot more similar actions from our federal government in the future.

Political impartiality is crucial to maintaining confidence in our tax system and government. Targeting one side or the other could break down our country faster than they likely realize.

I hope the lesson is learned by Obama and future fellow Presidents.

Heads should roll for this. It's 10x the scandal that Benghazi is, IMO.

 

[Lucrum]

Quote from clacy:


I hope the lesson is learned by Obama

I wouldn't bet on it my friend.

 

[piezoe]

Quote from clacy:

Emphasis on the word "leeway" under Obama. Basically, if you're a political enemy of the White House, the IRS will not like you.

Obama and the IRS has crossed a very dangerous threshold by targeting conservative groups.

I agree, it would be a very dangerous threshold , indeed, for the administration to cross. I think the Obama administration is way too smart to have done that.

This will be investigated. My best guess is that it will turn out that the IRS initiated on their own the documentation requests, and that it is not unusual for the IRS to make rather burdensome requests for documentation proving that activities of political organizations operating under section 527 did not cross the line of allowed exempt activities. If I was an IRS administrator I would certainly consider 527 activities an area ripe for close examination.

In any case, the truth is bound to come out. There are too many interested parties in Congress for it not to.

 

[clacy]

Read the questions that these conservative organizations were asked and tell me if you think isn't really serious and not politically motivated

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/10/10-crazy-things-the-irs-asked-tea-party-groups/

This is scary stuff

 

[ron2368]

Holder has been up to something also. Just out.



The Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press in what the news cooperative's top executive called a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into how news organizations gather the news.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/govt-obtains-wide-ap-phone-records-probe

 

[Lucrum]

Quote from piezoe:

...I think the Obama administration is way too smart to have done that...

You are one hell of an optimist.