IRS

After decades of arguing that Scientology did not qualify for tax-exempt status, the US tax agency reversed itself in a secret settlement. What caused the complete reversal?

IRS in the News

Datesort icon Title Blurb Tags
March 24, 1991 IRS Managers Believe Agency Is Incorruptible, Efficient (brief mention of Scientology) IRS
March 24, 1991 Poll Of Managers: IRS Is Fair, Honest (brief mention of Scientology) IRS
March 22, 1991 IRS Agents Rate Own Ethics High, Public's Dismal (brief mention of Scientology) IRS
January 30, 1991 IRS Fines Cult Affiliate (brief mention of Scientology) IRS
January 30, 1991 Who Said IRS Is Humorless? (brief mention of Scientology) IRS
January 30, 1991 IRS Computer 'went Berserk' Watchdog Group Member Angered By $1 Billion Bill San Jose Mercury News: IRS Computer 'went Berserk' Watchdog Group Member Angered By $1 Billion Bill IRS
September 14, 1990 IRS Oversight Could Cost Millions (brief mention of Scientology) IRS
September 14, 1990 The Bottom Line: IRS Goofed Again (brief mention of Scientology) IRS
September 14, 1990 IRS Foulup May Cost $22 Million (brief mention of Scientology) IRS
September 14, 1990 Headline: IRS Foulup Could Cost $22.6 Million//Agency Failed To Sign Documents On Assessments (brief mention of Scientology) IRS

IRS in the News

Datesort icon Title Blurb Tags
December 31, 1997 IRS, leaked. Church, leak. Scientologists, Internet, alt.religion.of, involved The IRS announces that it is to hold an internal inquiry into how the agreement was leaked. The Church of Scientology denounces the leak. Scientologists accuse unnamed participants in the Internet newsgroup alt.religion.scientology of being involved. IRS
December 30, 1997 IRS, Wall Street Journal, Web, front-page story. Newspapers, United States, story The secret IRS agreement is leaked to the Wall Street Journal, which promptly puts it on its Web site and leads with a front-page story. Newspapers across the United States report the story. IRS
March 21, 1996 Tax Analysts, March 15 Tax Analysts issues a press release announcing the March 15 decision that hundreds of "field service advice" memos used by IRS agents be released to Tax Analysts under a Freedom of Information Act request. IRS
September 24, 1984 loses, IRS, 1970-72. Tax Court, L. Ron Hubbard, question. IRS -, instance, tax-related material, IRS, US tax-payers' money Scientology loses its appeal over the IRS tax assessment for the years 1970-72. The Tax Court judge documents in detail how huge sums were moved out of Scientology accounts into those of L. Ron Hubbard during the period in question. The judgement also describes the obstructionist tactics used by Scientology to thwart the IRS - for instance, deliberately jumbling two million pages of tax-related material, so that IRS officials would have to sort it out at the cost of a great deal of time and US tax-payers' money. IRS, L. Ron Hubbard
August 20, 1984 Lt. Ray Emmons, Clearwater Police Department, IRS Criminal Investigator Al Ristuccia Lt. Ray Emmons of the Clearwater Police Department sends documents and information about Scientology to IRS Criminal Investigator Al Ristuccia. IRS
August 15, 1984 Lt. Ray Emmons, Clearwater Police Department, IRS Criminal Investigator Al Ristuccia. Emmons, inducements. IRS, Emmons' document Lt. Ray Emmons of the Clearwater Police Department meets with IRS Criminal Investigator Al Ristuccia. Emmons outlines Scientology practices as they relate to fraudulent inurement and fraudulent inducements. The IRS investigator receives copies of some of Emmons' documents. IRS
December 20, 1976 Richard Weigand, CSW (Completed Staff Work), Henning Heldt, Project Troy, possible. (Project Troy, IRS Chief Counsel.) Heldt, Pr Richard Weigand sends a CSW (Completed Staff Work) to Henning Heldt asking that Project Troy be approved as soon as possible. (Project Troy calls for the placement of a permanent bugging device in the office or the IRS Chief Counsel.) Heldt will approve Project Troy. IRS
November 18, 1975 Michael Meisner, Cindy Meisner Michael Meisner sends a memo to Cindy Meisner entitled "Re: DEA FOI Case -- D of J Data -- Figley". It summarized documents stolen from the office of IRS employee Paul Figley, who was working on Freedom of Information Act requests relating to Scientology. The stolen documents were attached to Meisner's memo. IRS, Michael Meisner
November 17, 1975 Michael Meisner, Cindy Meisner Michael Meisner sends a memo to Cindy Meisner entitled "Re: Justice Department, FOI Suits -- Figley". It summarized documents stolen from the office of IRS employee Paul Figley, who was working on Freedom of Information Act requests relating to Scientology. The stolen documents were attached to Meisner's memo. IRS, Michael Meisner
June 11, 1975 GO, IRS, Church, California. Accordingly, GO, IRS' The GO gets wind of a major financial audit to be made by the IRS of the Church of Scientology of California. Accordingly, the GO decides to obtain as much inside information as possible on the IRS' "line of attack". Michael Meisner devises "Project Beetle Cleanup" for obtaining "all DC IRS files on LRH, Scientology, etc., in the Intelligence section, OIO [Office or International Operations], and SSS [Special Services Staff]". The project proposes the placement of "FSMs" (Field Staff members, or agents) in the "required areas or good access developed", and further that "Pitts" (the code name for Nancy Douglass - a GO agent who had infiltrated the Drug Enforcement Agency) and "Silver" (Wolfe) attempt to obtain employment at the Internal Revenue Service Intelligence Division and Office of International Operations respectively. IRS, Michael Meisner