A government oversight organization is calling for the dismissal of a prominent figure at the Internal Revenue Service, who was implicated in the Obama administration’s controversy regarding the agency’s targeting of political adversaries, following the revelation of her new role. Holly Paz, the former deputy to IRS Commissioner Lois Lerner, has been elevated by the administration of former President Joe Biden and is currently overseeing a significant division within the agency, as reported by The Daily Caller. She is identified on the IRS website as the head of the Large Business and International Division. Paz was allegedly involved in the incident referred to as the ‘Tea Party’ scandal during the period leading up to President Obama’s reelection in 2012, where conservative organizations seeking tax-exempt status faced delays and heightened scrutiny compared to their progressive counterparts. The American Accountability Foundation (AAF), a conservative watchdog group, is urging her removal due to her association with this scandal, as indicated in a letter sent to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and obtained by the Daily Caller. The letter states that the group has initiated an investigation into the IRS concerning issues of partisanship and its ongoing targeting of conservative entities. It highlights that the initial finding of this investigation is that Holly Paz, who was previously placed on leave and removed from her position at the IRS in 2013 due to allegations of targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, has regained a senior role within the IRS during the Biden Administration. The letter asserts that given the allegations of political bias within the IRS and its continued targeting of conservatives, Paz should not be permitted to retain her position. It emphasizes that taxpayers deserve confidence in those who receive government salaries, and Paz has demonstrated that she is unworthy of the privilege to serve the American public.The division of the IRS that she currently oversees is tasked with managing tax administration for both domestic and international businesses that have a tax reporting obligation in the United States and possess assets of $10 million or more, in addition to overseeing the Global High Wealth and International Individual Compliance programs, as stated on the IRS website. The tax agency has recently been implicated in another controversy related to the enhancement of its infrastructure. A technology consultant affiliated with the Department of Government Efficiency, which is led by Elon Musk, made a shocking disclosure during a discussion with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Fox News. In an interview with host Laura Ingraham, Sam Corcos, who is engaged in modernizing the IRS’s software and computer systems, indicated that the upgrade is significantly overdue by over three decades and has exceeded its budget by billions, with no clear resolution in sight. ‘I have been tasked with reviewing the IRS modernization initiative, along with the operations and maintenance budget,’ Corcos informed Ingraham. ‘This is a substantial program that is already 30 years behind schedule and $15 billion over budget.’ He further explained, ‘The IRS is operating with outdated infrastructure, including old mainframes that run on COBOL and Assembly, and the challenge lies in transitioning to a modern system. While virtually every bank has successfully accomplished this, we are still reliant on many of these antiquated systems.’ Corcos added, ‘In the private sector, such upgrades typically take a few years and require a few hundred million dollars. We are now 35 years into this process, which was originally scheduled for completion in 1996.’ He emphasized, ‘A significant portion of our government is dedicated to tax collection. We cannot execute the fundamental functions of tax collection without incurring costs from numerous contractors. We must find a way to escape this predicament; we are currently in a very deep hole.’ Bessent then remarked that the primary issue lies not with the IRS personnel but rather with the agency’s contractors. ‘Many of the employees are exceptional. The problem resides with the consulting group.’
IRS Official Linked to Obama-Era Tea Party Scandal Leading Major Tax Division: Report
