kcjenkins

There you go. Geek status is not truly gender related, you know.

You make my point, Jainen. It did happen a few times in the past, but when there was a GOP President, it DID make headline news. Heck, it was a major reason for Nixon being told by his own party that he must resign.

But the point you are overlooking is that this was first challenged 3 years ago, but supposedly no one in upper management knew a thing about it, in fact categorically denied it to Congress, until just THIS YEAR, not last year, and some of those organizations have STILL not gotten their responses. So if they are telling the truth about that, they should be fired for incompetence!!!!! Oh, yeah, and none of the so-called lower level people have been disciplined either.

Actually, I don't want to return to the wild west, just to a more reasonable level. Without income tax, we'd return to user fees, etc, which let the person benefiting from a government service pay for it. Not that odd an idea, to me. Sales tax, or more properly Use tax, would still apply, but only to those sales where the business actually uses the services. Finally, you'd have a fit if I listed all the government services that I would happily see cut. But just for a start, I'd get rid of the Education Dept completely, as they spend a ton of money without improving a single school, based on the results that are published every year. Heck, they can not even run the DC schools decently, those they totally control and they are the worst in the nation. There are lots of others that while serving some purpose, need to be trimmed back a great deal. EPA did a great job at the beginning, so now we have some of the cleanest air and water in the world. But today, having worked themselves out of a real job, they are trying to do things like regulating dust on farms, rainwater, and which rodents should be protected from what, etc. Cut them way back, and they might be worth their salaries, maybe. Then there are the areas where two, three, or even more govt agencies regulate the same thing. Don't get me started on the ways we could save there................

And again I'd remind you that it was started as a "USE" tax, based on the logic that the businesses were 'using public resources', i,e, roads, police, fire protection, etc, to profit in their business, and the buyers were also 'using' those resources. So why, if you are in GA and you buy a printer, say, from a company in MA, which has no business locations in GA, should you pay for the use of those MA resources?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124260113149028331?mg=reno64-wsj.html%3Fdsk%3Dy GREAT ARTICLE IN WSJ Tax Audits Are No Laughing Matter A president shouldn't even joke about abusing IRS power. Barack Obama owes his presidency in no small part to the power of rhetoric. It's too bad he doesn't appreciate the damage that loose talk can do to America's tax system, even as exploding federal deficits make revenues more important than ever. At his Arizona State University commencement speech last Wednesday, Mr. Obama noted that ASU had refused to grant him an honorary degree, citing his lack of experience, and the controversy this had caused. He then demonstrated ASU's point by remarking, "I really thought this was much ado about nothing, but I do think we all learned an important lesson. I learned never again to pick another team over the Sun Devils in my NCAA brackets. . . . President [Michael] Crowe and the Board of Regents will soon learn all about being audited by the IRS." Just a joke about the power of the presidency. Made by Jay Leno it might have been funny. But as told by Mr. Obama, the actual president of the United States, it's hard to see the humor. Surely he's aware that other presidents, most notably Richard Nixon, have abused the power of the Internal Revenue Service to harass their political opponents. But that abuse generated a powerful backlash and with good reason. Should the IRS come to be seen as just a bunch of enforcers for whoever is in political power, the result would be an enormous loss of legitimacy for the tax system. One reason why Americans don't act like Italians is that they see the income-tax system as basically fair in execution. A tax audit or a tax-fraud prosecution is still seen, usually, as evidence that someone has done something wrong. If it comes instead to be seen as "just politics" then the moral component of the system will be gone. For the system to work, people have to believe that it is fundamentally fair. read the full article, it's excellent.

Any of you use Judy's Ten-Key? I love the ability to save the digital 'tapes'.

Or Both, IMHO.

You are right, this sort of thing is very wrong, no matter what the 'leaning' of the organization. As long as the organization is following the rules, which for political groups means 'educational' activities, I think they should be allowed the status.

An investigation by the Government Accountability Institute found that IRS audits for tax-exempt organizations have skyrocketed 79% under President Barack Obama. One Tea Party group, Tea Party Patriots, rejected the IRS apology. In a press release Friday afternoon, the group called for a direct apology from President Barack Obama, and for a congressional investigation: “The IRS has demonstrated the most disturbing, illegal and outrageous abuse of government power,” said Jenny Beth Martin, National Coordinator for Tea Party Patriots. “This deliberate targeting and harassment of tea party groups reaches a new low in illegal government activity and overreach. It is suspicious that the activity of these ‘low-level workers’ was unknown to IRS leadership at the time it occurred. President Obama must also apologize for his administration ignoring repeated complaints by these broad grassroots organizations of harassment by the IRS in 2012, and make concrete and transparent steps today to ensure this never happens again. We reject a simple apology that does nothing to alleviate the danger of this happening again. Only immediate and public actions on the part of the IRS and the president will suffice. “We demand the immediate resignation of all complicit in this activity and insist Congress investigate.” In April 2012, Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) published an op-ed at Breitbart News calling for such an inquiry, noting that state governments had once used similar tactics against civil rights organizations.

And remember, local and state Sales Tax is 'justified' as being to pay for state and local 'services' like fire, police, streets, etc. I think the fact that Amazon was a big supporter of this bill says it all. They don't like the competition from the little guys, and they know that while they are big enough to easily deal with it, the little guys will find it a much bigger burden. Frankly, I'm against ANY NEW TAX, at least until they clean up their crazy out-of-control spending.

I just posted the same story, with more detail, Tom. If I'd seen this I'd have put it here. I just have to wonder how much coverage this will get? Now, I know, if the same thing had happened during a GOP administration, with the target being liberal groups, the story would be HEADLINE NEWS throughout the media. Let's see how much coverage this one gets.

The Internal Revenue Service “inappropriately flagged” conservative political groups during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status, a top IRS official said Friday. Organizations were singled out because they included the words “tea party” or “patriot” in their applications for tax-exempt status, said Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups. In some cases, groups were asked for their list of donors, which violates IRS policy in most cases, she said. “That was wrong. That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive and it was inappropriate. That’s not how we go about selecting cases for further review,” Lerner said at a conference sponsored by the American Bar Association. “The IRS would like to apologize for that,” she added. Ohio Liberty Council Corp. President Tom Zawistokowski, for example, posted a letter on the group’s website detailing their extraordinary experiences with the IRS. Zawistokowski writes: My own Portage County TEA Party has been waiting for over a year just to get a response from the IRS so we can file our 2010 tax return! In the attached PDF I share with you, the “Additional Information Requested” of the Ohio Liberty Council from our June 30th, 2010 application which we just received on January 30, 2012. Yes, they took a year and a half to respond to our application and they are giving us two weeks to respond back. As you will see, this is no simple request. Here’s what the IRS demanded of the group: A hard copy printout of the website – A PDF file emailed to the IRS will not suffice (and this is the high-tech Administration) List all Social Media outlets being used (Facebook, Twitter, etc) and include hard copy printouts of every posting A narrative description of every activity of your organization since June 30, 2010 (filing date) – And they do not want a mere description of the event, but full details – including; who conducted it, their qualifications, who was allowed to take part in the activities and how they were selected, was there a fee? (how much) The IRS also wants to know about the members of the group and their roles and more, asking specifically for the “name, address, and corporate federal ID of all organizations that are members of our organization” [...] Public events are also under scrutiny with the IRS demanding to know the time, location and content schedule of each event. Copies of any and all handouts must be included. Names and credentials of all instructors and copies of any workshop materials used. All speakers must be identified and copies of every speech must be included. By March, several Republican senators and The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) were starting to ask questions about the IRS’ treatment of Tea Party groups. “This appears to be a coordinated attempt to intimidate Tea Party organizations by demanding information that is outside the scope of legitimate inquiry and violates the First Amendment,” said ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow in a statement, adding that the IRS asked questions that violate groups’ association rights. “These organizations have followed the law and applied for tax exempt status for their activities as Americans have done for decades,” the statement notes. Later, 12 GOP senators sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Douglas Schulman questioning the nature of the relationship between the IRS and Tea Party groups. “It is critical that the public have confidence that federal tax compliance efforts are pursued in a fair, even-handed, and transparent manner – without regard to politics of any kind,” wrote the Senators, referring specifically to the Kentucky 9/12 Project’s claim of IRS intimidation. “It is imperative that organizations applying for tax-exempt status are able to rely on a consistent and foreseeable review structure from the IRS. “Any significant changes to the IRS review process should be implemented only after appropriate notice and opportunity for comment from the public and affected parties,” the letter adds. The letter was spearheaded by Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, joined by Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), John Cornyn (Texas), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), John Thune (R-S.D.), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.). .More than a year later, Lerner’s comments show that the harassed conservative grassroots groups — and their defenders — were actually on to something

Sons are the best, you can pay them with a home-cooked meal! Or even just a hug and a kiss.

LOL. I will give it serious thought in Dec.

Nope. no relation.

More detail please. What regulation are you referring to?

So, Tom, if, when I move out there in a few weeks, if I should go to work for you during tax season, I'd end up loving them like you do?

Basic thing is that an OIC is asking them to write off as noncollectable a significant part of the debt. Especially when the debt is not for their taxes, but for THE EMPLOYEE'S TAXES that they withheld, IRS does not like to do that. Whereas an installment agreement means they will at least attempt to repay the money they stole. And installment agreements do have an end date, even if the debt has not been fully paid. In my experience, this is your best option in the situation you've described.

It seems like we've been here so many times before. Security researchers are once again warning about a serious flaw in Internet Explorer that could allow hackers to take over your computer remotely. You may have heard that last week hackers broke into a Department of Labor website. The hackers reprogrammed the site to target this exact flaw on the computers of anyone who visited. So, the bottom line is that hackers know about this flaw, and it's being actively exploited. Even up-to-date security software might not protect you. Not good news! Fortunately, this flaw is a problem only in Internet Explorer 8. I know many of you use other Web browsers, but you probably know someone who still uses IE8. Please pass this warning on to them so their computer isn't compromised.

An atheist was seated next to a little girl on an airplane and he turned to her and said, "Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger." The little girl, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger, "What would you want to talk about?" "Oh, I don't know," said the atheist. "How about why there is no God, or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after death?" as he smiled smugly. "Okay," she said. "Those could be interesting topics but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?" The atheist, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks about it and says, "Hmmm, I have no idea." To which the little girl replies, "Do you really feel qualified to discuss God, Heaven and Hell, or life after death, when you don't know shit?" And then she went back to reading her book.

You are right, IF THEY ARE RIGHT. But based on what I've found so far, there was a legit business settlement, after a significant legal battle, not a gift. And just thinking logically, this is someone who has tons of top legal advice, and could certainly have paid any tax he actually owed. So I just don't buy the IRS position.

Dee, take Tom's advice. It is right on point. Good luck.

Billionaire Sumner Redstone Challenges IRS Tax Claim on Gift Dating Back to 1972 That's right, this is not a case that has been going on for 41 years. This is a NEW case, where the IRS recently decided to make a claim that he should have reported more income, 41 years ago. What makes it doubly strange is that the IRS position sounds really weak. NEW YORK (MAY 2, 2013) BY RICHARD RUBIN BLOOMBERG (Bloomberg) In 1972, President Richard Nixon cruised to re-election. “The Waltons” premiered on CBS. And Sumner Redstone, who wasn’t yet a global media mogul, made a taxable gift to his children and failed to file a return. At least that’s what the Internal Revenue Service is maintaining 41 years later. The IRS told Redstone earlier this year that he owes $1.1 million in taxes and penalties, plus interest, because of the gift. The case involves stock in the family’s National Amusements Inc. received by Redstone’s son, Brent, and his daughter, Shari, after the settlement of an intrafamily lawsuit. “This is unheard of,” said Richard Behrendt, a former IRS estate and gift tax auditor who is now director of estate planning at Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. in Milwaukee. “I can’t remember ever hearing of anybody going back 41 years to raise an issue. It’s really unprecedented in my experience.” Redstone, the billionaire chairman of Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp., argues in his April 10 petition to the U.S. Tax Court that what the IRS called a taxable gift was instead the result of an intrafamily lawsuit and an “ordinary business transaction.” The 89-year-old Redstone is worth $4.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He started his career on the other side of tax disputes as a lawyer for the U.S. Department of Justice. ‘Bitter’ Dispute Redstone then joined his family’s movie theater company before taking over Viacom and CBS. As chairman of both companies, he controls the CBS television network, Showtime, Paramount Pictures and MTV. According to the petition, the “bitter family dispute” in the early 1970s involved Sumner Redstone’s late brother, Edward, who had left the business and “threatened” to sell his shares outside the family. The settlement ended up directing some of the shares in National Amusements to Edward’s and Sumner’s children. “Despite many opportunities during 41 years,” Redstone’s petition says, the IRS “has never before claimed” that he made taxable gifts in 1972. The statute of limitations doesn’t apply in cases where no tax return was filed, Behrendt said. “At some point, it becomes impractical to go back this far,” he said. “It sends a really troublesome message to the public.” ‘Riled Up’ The interest probably would more than double the amount Redstone owes the IRS. Ronald Aucutt, an estate tax lawyer at McGuireWoods LLP in Tysons Corner, Va., has a spreadsheet that calculates IRS interest dating to 1996, and even that would result in more than $1.4 million in interest. Aucutt, who has been practicing estate tax law since 1976, said he found the case’s reach to 1972 so “astonishing” that he wouldn’t have believed it was real if one of his partners had told him. “They have to have a reason for being so riled up,” he said of the IRS. “My guess is that they would not pursue something that they did not think was really serious.” Edward Redstone died in 2011. His estate, which received a similar notice of deficiency, filed a separate Tax Court case April 15. Howard Castleman, the attorney for Edward Redstone’s estate, said the 1972 transaction wasn’t a gift. He said litigation over the past few years regarding the family’s trusts may have caught the IRS’s attention. Family’s Trusts Anthony Burke, a spokesman for the IRS, said the agency generally doesn’t comment on pending litigation. David Andelman, Sumner Redstone’s attorney at Lourie & Cutler P.C. in Boston, didn’t immediately return a call for comment. Andelman is a director of CBS and National Amusements. Redstone, who turns 90 in May, made plans for a trust to manage his controlling shares in CBS and Viacom upon his death. Under the current terms, the trust will be managed by a board including Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman and Shari Redstone, according to people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported April 21. The case is Redstone v. Commissioner, T.C., No. 008097-13.