Phl/323 Irs Scandal
Internal Revenue Service Scandal
The Internal Revenue Service has been at the center of a controversial scandal along with a few political figureheads. This scandal has had Congress to convene several times and affected many officials. In Washington, lawmakers have had documents retained and personnel named to be summoned to testify. It is interesting that during a two-year period, 298 groups sought-after tax-exemption but a third of them received additional scrutiny. According to Shesgreen (2013) at least 108 eventually had their tax-exempt applications approved, including 31 tea party members, patriot, or 9/12 organizations. 28 withdrew their applications, and another batch — 160 cases as of December 2012 — remain in limbo. The questions to be answered are “Who are to blame and how can the Government return to its ethical standards?”
In the corporate world, there are plenty of things that cross the line between what is ethical or unethical; as well as what is legal versus illegal. The IRS scandal is a huge illustration of the crossing of these lines. Many times scandals often occur before a situation can be illegalized. This is mainly because it is generally the first time the unethical acts are made public by the media. There is no doubt that many unethical and perhaps even illegal acts has occurred before. However, majority of the time the circumstance goes unnoticed. Simply put, people tend to abuse their power and position when they believe it will go unnoticed, which brings the issue with the IRS scandal back to the table of ethical standards. The issue with the IRS scandal includes a few things to name. According to the Oregon Associated Press (2012), the IRS is scrutinized for allegedly handing out, “tougher treatment [to the] Tea Party and other conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.” To be a bit more specific, the IRS seems to be giving out harsher treatment to specific individuals and groups based upon their perception of
The Internal Revenue Service has been at the center of a controversial scandal along with a few political figureheads. This scandal has had Congress to convene several times and affected many officials. In Washington, lawmakers have had documents retained and personnel named to be summoned to testify. It is interesting that during a two-year period, 298 groups sought-after tax-exemption but a third of them received additional scrutiny. According to Shesgreen (2013) at least 108 eventually had their tax-exempt applications approved, including 31 tea party members, patriot, or 9/12 organizations. 28 withdrew their applications, and another batch — 160 cases as of December 2012 — remain in limbo. The questions to be answered are “Who are to blame and how can the Government return to its ethical standards?”
In the corporate world, there are plenty of things that cross the line between what is ethical or unethical; as well as what is legal versus illegal. The IRS scandal is a huge illustration of the crossing of these lines. Many times scandals often occur before a situation can be illegalized. This is mainly because it is generally the first time the unethical acts are made public by the media. There is no doubt that many unethical and perhaps even illegal acts has occurred before. However, majority of the time the circumstance goes unnoticed. Simply put, people tend to abuse their power and position when they believe it will go unnoticed, which brings the issue with the IRS scandal back to the table of ethical standards. The issue with the IRS scandal includes a few things to name. According to the Oregon Associated Press (2012), the IRS is scrutinized for allegedly handing out, “tougher treatment [to the] Tea Party and other conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.” To be a bit more specific, the IRS seems to be giving out harsher treatment to specific individuals and groups based upon their perception of
References: Associated Press (AP) Oregon Press. (2013). IRS Scandal: Ousted chief tells Congress errors not caused by politics. Retrieved from http://www.oregonlive.com/today/index.ssf/2013/05/irs_scandal_ousted_chief_tells.html Berry, K. (2013, June 6). IRS Suspends Two Officials for Taking Conference Perks. Retrieved from http://accountingweb.com/print/221903 Dixon, K., & Rampton, R. (2013, may 20). Attention shifts to the White House in the IRS probe. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/20/us-usa-irs-idUSBRE94F10Y20130520 Hayward, J. (2013). Human events. Retrieved from http://www.humanevents.com/2013/05/14/more-irs-abuses-of-power-against-conservative-groups/ Hicks, K. (2013, June 8). More Than "A Few”: Targeting Scandal May Involve 88 IRS Officials. Retrieved from http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katehicks/2013/06/01/more-than-a-few-targeting-scandal-may-involve-88-irs-officals-n1610976 Marriam Webster. (2013). Integrity. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/integrity Murse, T. (unknown). IRS Scandal of 2013. Retrieved from http://uspolitics.about.com/od/Money-In-Politics/a/The-Irs-Scandal-Of-2013.htm Reuters. (2013, May 20). FactBox: Four key questions in the unfolding IRS scandal. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/21/us-usa-irs-questions-idUSBRE94JOYH20130521