Gordon Forgey

For decades, the Internal Revenue Service has been the country’s most despised federal agency.

It is tasked with making sure everyone pays their taxes, and, in all of history, no tax collector has been loved.

Yet, the IRS has further built its reputation by being harsh, unrelenting, unbending and heartless.

If nothing else, the agency was known for tunnel vision, ignoring all but the tax laws. Its objectivity may have been its one redeeming characteristic. At least, everyone was treated equally.

Recently, the agency was accused of using its power subjectively and applying its laws only to certain cases and types of cases.

This was bad enough. The firestorm over these accusations is not over. More recently, it was disclosed that the IRS spent millions and millions of dollars for lavish training sessions. The complexity of the tax codes could have almost justified some of the expense, except for the fact that the disclosure came with ridiculous videos of IRS employees dancing and prancing around on stage.

The abuse of power and profligate use of public money cannot be condoned or explained. It is just another example of excesses at the public’s expense. The scandal of lavish Homeland Security seminars did not even cause the IRS pause.

Now, the IRS looks silly, self-indulgent and untrustworthy. It is a new image that the agency will be hard pressed to overcome.

In comparison, its old image of tough, all business impartiality looks pretty good.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher