SEVEN SCIENTOLOGISTS 'SURROUND' IRS BUILDING.
SEVEN SCIENTOLOGISTS 'SURROUND' IRS BUILDING.
- Institutional AuthorsChurch of Scientology
- Index TermsNITA
- Jurisdictions
- LanguageEnglish
- Tax Analysts Document NumberDoc 91-8017
- Tax Analysts Electronic Citation91 TNT 196-17
=============== SUMMARY ===============
A September 19 demonstration sponsored by the Church of Scientology at the IRS building in Washington drew seven participants who handed out free copies of a special edition of Scientology's "Freedom Magazine." Scientology spokesperson Alex Jones had said earlier that Scientologists would be "all around" the building, and a statement released by the Scientologists said they would be "calling for IRS workers to come forward and blow the whistle on IRS corruption." The release said that "the IRS is so out of control that honest employees can be totally crushed if they try to put a stop to internal abuses and corruption." The press release has been placed in the Tax Notes Microfiche Database as Doc 91-8017.
=============== FULL TEXT ===============
(Washington, D.C.) Representatives from the Church of Scientology's FREEDOM Magazine distributed free copies of a special edition of the Oct. 1991 publication today at the IRS National Office calling for IRS workers to come forward to blow the whistle on IRS corruption.
"The IRS is so out of control that honest employees can be totally crushed if they try to put a stop to internal abuses and corruption," said Alex Jones, spokesperson for FREEDOM Magazine, "We want them to know that they are not alone and that they really can do something effective to bring about reforms in the IRS by contacting FREEDOM."
An article in the October issue describes the case of an African-American woman, an IRS employee in Fresno, California, who received repeated death threats and lived to tell of two actual attempts on her life -- one consisting of an attempted poisoning and another of a severed break [sic] line on her car.
The latest edition of the magazine also features reports of IRS employees who have suffered the brunt of IRS vengeance for reporting on agency abuses.
"We have found that there is a pervasive racial bias within the IRS," said Tom Whittle, FREEDOM's Editor in Chief "Illegal actions leveled against employees who file complaints are all too common. Our current investigations concern reports of vendettas by IRS officials, ranging from dirty tricks to murder.
The President of the National Coalition of IRS Whistleblowers, Paul DesFosses, also attests to having been targeted with violence for his whistleblowing activities. In 1982 there was an arson attempt on his home, in which his youngest son nearly died. DesFosses was later threatened by an IRS Official who stated, "If you don't start cooperating, I'm going to burn your house down again."
An anonymous FREEDOM source who claims to have worked for the IRS in an undercover capacity for many years, alleges that IRS officials have in fact resorted to murder.
The issue's cover story, "IRS: Playing God," charges Marcus Owens of the agency's Exempt Organization Division with conducting "sham tax exemption proceedings and illegal collusion." The story details a recent 2120 million damages suit filed by the Church of Scientology against 17 Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles-based IRS officials. The suit alleges evidence of massive violations of constitutional rights by the tax agency officials named.
In line with the Church of Scientology's efforts in preserving the rights of Americans, FREEDOM Magazine has been at the forefront of exposes on human rights abuses. The Magazine recently won a first- place award given by [sic] for investigative reporting into IRS abuses and misconduct.
In the early 1970's, FREEDOM obtained and exposed more than 200 pages of secret IRS manuals which came to be known as "The IRS Papers." The documents demonstrated that IRS agents had been instructed to evade congressional oversight, manipulate the news media, circumvent the Freedom of Information Act, and selectively prosecute and intimidate taxpayers. Widespread exposure of these documents was followed by Senate hearings, which in turn revealed additional abuses and triggered IRS reforms.
In early 1985, FREEDOM founded the National Coalition of IRS Whistleblowers, a watchdog group which has since conducted a broad educational campaign on IRS misconduct and taxpayer rights.
"Every time we put the evidence of IRS abuse into the hands of IRS workers, more abuses surface," said Alex Jones. "Through FREEDOM's documented stories, honest IRS employees find strength and safety with others like them who have said 'enough'."
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- Institutional AuthorsChurch of Scientology
- Index TermsNITA
- Jurisdictions
- LanguageEnglish
- Tax Analysts Document NumberDoc 91-8017
- Tax Analysts Electronic Citation91 TNT 196-17