US tax agency chief resigns over targeting of conservative political groups
Baku, May 17 (AZERTAC). US President Barack Obama announced Wednesday that the acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service has resigned in the wake of news that the government financial agency targeted conservative political groups seeking tax relief for extra scrutiny. Steven Miller, who was not in charge of the IRS at the time of the wrongdoing, will step aside in light of the bureau`s “inexcusable” misconduct. A visibly angry Obama said that the extra screening for Tea Party groups before the presidential election last year was “an outrage.” “I am angry about it,” Obama said, adding that the American people should be upset, as well. “Everybody believes what happened... is an outrage. The good news is that it`s fixable...I`ll do everything in my power to ensure that this never happens again.” His short remarks were in response to the controversy that has reverberated throughout Washington in recent days. Obama previously said the accusations were “outrageous” but waited for a report from the US Treasury Department`s inspector general to publicly elaborate on the matter. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, who is also a top Obama deputy, requested Miller`s resignation. Miller will not step down immediately, but in June, according to NBC News. “An urgent need to restore public trust,” Lew wrote in a letter to Miller. “I find it necessary at this time to request your resignation.” The results of the inspector general`s probe, which were made public Tuesday, do not blame IRS leadership in Washington for initiating the screening process - but do fault them for failing to adequately supervise employees in the Cincinnati office where the targeting program was born. Lori Lerner, the head of the tax-exempt organizations department, blamed “low level employees” for using terms like “Tea Party” and “patriot” to filter and prevent right-wing groups from being granted tax-exempt status due to suspicions they were engaged solely in political activities. Included in the IRS` responsibilities are collecting federal taxes as well as interpreting and enforcing the Internal Revenue Code.
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