Letters: The IRS -- what’s not to like?

Re “Showing IRS love after scandal,” Column, May 26

Michael Hiltzik’s column hit home with me, as I feel like I am the only person on Earth who is grateful for all that the IRS does. My experiences with it have been nothing but positive.

While I have had no problems or audits with my personal tax returns, I have dealt with the IRS several times when, as a board member on all-volunteer nonprofit groups, I inherited old oversights that put our nonprofit, tax-exempt status at risk. Every time I called or wrote the IRS, I was treated with compassion, efficiency and respect. All of our issues resulted in positive, fair outcomes, and for that I am grateful.

On a personal level, I am one of the few people who does not begrudge paying taxes and contributing to all the services they support. The only thing I begrudge is the inequity of how it all works, which is Congress’ fault, not the IRS’.

Deborah Lopez

Agoura Hills

Hiltzik’s apologia for the IRS ignores important facts. While it is true that conservative groups were a minority of those audited, the question he ignores is whether they were disproportionally singled out and whether the level of scrutiny was abusive. Conservative groups wallowed in IRS audits for years answering abusive questions.

The 1st Amendment’s core is political speech, usually accomplished by like-minded people joining together to petition the government. In turn, the government must be neutral and cannot favor one side over the other, either in selecting groups to audit or the level of scrutiny applied.

Much of the shame in this scandal should fall on the media for failing to be zealous advocates for the 1st Amendment.

Phil Saunders

Los Angeles

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