The IRS posted a taxpayers' bill of rights three days before reports about the lost Lois Lerner emails
The IRS posted a taxpayers’ bill of rights on its website three days before the media reported that the IRS had lost former IRS official Lois Lerner and other officials’ emails associated with the IRS scandal.
During testimony last Friday before the House Ways and Means Committee, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen confirmed the media reports’ that the agency had lost Lerner and other officials’ emails associated with the IRS scandal.
Prior to his testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee, Koskinen issued a statement whereby he discussed the importance of taxpayers knowing their rights.
Koskinen is quoted in the statement as saying, “The Taxpayer Bill of Rights contains fundamental information to help taxpayers,” said Koskinen. “These are core concepts about which taxpayers should be aware. Respecting taxpayer rights continues to be a top priority for IRS employees, and the new Taxpayer Bill of Rights summarizes these important protections in a clearer, more understandable format than ever before.”
Some of the rights that the IRS list are the right to know about information pertaining to one’s taxes, the right to good customer service, the right not to pay more than is required, the right to have an investigation into alleged misdoings by the IRS, and the right to a “fair and just tax system.”
Unfortunately for the IRS, the scandal involving the targeting of Republican non-profit organizations has led American voters from both side of the political aisle to call foul on the agency.
The IRS has a history of not being viewed as “fair and just,” and the lost Lois Lerner emails have added more validity to the claim.
One person in particular, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), let it be known during last Friday’s House Ways and Means Committee hearing that he did not trust the IRS under Koskinen’s leadership.
Townhall quoted Ryan during the hearing as saying, “This is a pattern of abuse, a pattern of behavior that is not giving us any confidence that this agency is being impartial. You ask taxpayers to hold onto seven years of their personal tax information in case they are audited and you can’t keep track of emails past six months. I do not believe you.”
During testimony last Friday before the House Ways and Means Committee, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen confirmed the media reports’ that the agency had lost Lerner and other officials’ emails associated with the IRS scandal.
Prior to his testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee, Koskinen issued a statement whereby he discussed the importance of taxpayers knowing their rights.
Koskinen is quoted in the statement as saying, “The Taxpayer Bill of Rights contains fundamental information to help taxpayers,” said Koskinen. “These are core concepts about which taxpayers should be aware. Respecting taxpayer rights continues to be a top priority for IRS employees, and the new Taxpayer Bill of Rights summarizes these important protections in a clearer, more understandable format than ever before.”
Some of the rights that the IRS list are the right to know about information pertaining to one’s taxes, the right to good customer service, the right not to pay more than is required, the right to have an investigation into alleged misdoings by the IRS, and the right to a “fair and just tax system.”
Unfortunately for the IRS, the scandal involving the targeting of Republican non-profit organizations has led American voters from both side of the political aisle to call foul on the agency.
The IRS has a history of not being viewed as “fair and just,” and the lost Lois Lerner emails have added more validity to the claim.
One person in particular, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), let it be known during last Friday’s House Ways and Means Committee hearing that he did not trust the IRS under Koskinen’s leadership.
Townhall quoted Ryan during the hearing as saying, “This is a pattern of abuse, a pattern of behavior that is not giving us any confidence that this agency is being impartial. You ask taxpayers to hold onto seven years of their personal tax information in case they are audited and you can’t keep track of emails past six months. I do not believe you.”
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