I wonder if this sounds familiar to anyone: An organization is looking for key information stored on IRS computers. A lawsuit ensues, and the hard drives were allegedly wiped clean.
No, I’m not talking about the IRS Scandal, Lois Lerner, and the Freedom of Information Act lawsuits. Rather, I’m talking about a tax fight between NetJets and the IRS. NetJets sued the IRS for $643 million alleging, according to the Columbus Dispatch, that a ticket tax was misapplied. The IRS countersued for $366 million, alleging that NetJets hasn’t paid all their taxes. Both sides have petitioned for summary judgement.
I’ll let the first two paragraphs of the Dispatch story state what’s going on:
In the midst of a lawsuit with the federal government over tax payments, NetJets claims that the Internal Revenue Service destroyed documents important to the case.
The Columbus-based private-jet company, in a motion filed with U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr., said the IRS “wiped clean a number of computer hard drives containing emails and other electronic documents that the Government was required to produce.”
Most of the time, I wouldn’t believe that the IRS would do this. As of 18 months ago, I wouldn’t believe that the IRS would lie to Congress, would target conservative applicants for nonprofit status, and that the hard drive of any computer (or other electronic device) touched by Lois Lerner would be magically erased.
On a serious note, the fact that the IRS has done these things (even if it’s just a coincidence that the hard drive of any computer Ms. Lerner touched died) will make judges highly skeptical of the IRS. I have no idea who is right on the NetJets vs. IRS fight. I do know that the IRS’s position sure sounds fishy to me.
Tags: IRS.Scandal
[…] Fox, One Good Erasure Deserves Another: Most of the time, I wouldn’t believe that the IRS would do this. As of 18 months ago, I […]