IRS official: Lavish conference followed IRS rules

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Internal Revenue Service official at the center of the agency's latest scandal told lawmakers Thursday that an expensive conference held in 2010 conformed to existing rules, though he acknowledged it was not the best use of taxpayer money.

The official, Faris Fink, said spending at the $4.1 million gathering should have been more closely scrutinized, and that new rules would prevent such a conference today.

"I think it is important to point out that in carrying out this 2010 meeting, we followed IRS and government procedures that were in place at the time," Fink told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

In 2010, Fink was a top deputy in the IRS small business and self-employed division, which staged the conference. A 32-year IRS employee, Fink was promoted to lead the division in 2011.

Fink stayed in a room that normally cost $1,499 a night, the inspector general's report said. A total of 132 IRS officials received room upgrades at the conference.

The tax agency paid a flat daily fee of $135 per hotel room*, the report said, but the upgrades were part of a package deal that added to the overall cost of the conference.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20130606/US--IRS.Investigation/

* Separately disclosed, the attendees also received $71 per diem, although all expenses were paid by the taxpayer. Apparently, that does not violate any government policy.

[TBoneTX 46,173]

These people -- all of them in government -- need to understand that it's not their money.

[GandD 5,966]

These people -- all of them in government -- need to understand that it's not their money.

No joke. You want lavish conference's, come work in the private sector and risk being fired like the rest of us.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Internal Revenue Service official at the center of the agency's latest scandal told lawmakers Thursday that an expensive conference held in 2010 conformed to existing rules, though he acknowledged it was not the best use of taxpayer money.

The official, Faris Fink, said spending at the $4.1 million gathering should have been more closely scrutinized, and that new rules would prevent such a conference today.

"I think it is important to point out that in carrying out this 2010 meeting, we followed IRS and government procedures that were in place at the time," Fink told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

In 2010, Fink was a top deputy in the IRS small business and self-employed division, which staged the conference. A 32-year IRS employee, Fink was promoted to lead the division in 2011.

Fink stayed in a room that normally cost $1,499 a night, the inspector general's report said. A total of 132 IRS officials received room upgrades at the conference.

The tax agency paid a flat daily fee of $135 per hotel room*, the report said, but the upgrades were part of a package deal that added to the overall cost of the conference.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20130606/US--IRS.Investigation/

* Separately disclosed, the attendees also received $71 per diem, although all expenses were paid by the taxpayer. Apparently, that does not violate any government policy.

It happened under Bush to... So not an issue