The IRS has been under fire for allegedly targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status. We checked recent claims by two lawmakers.
As the IRS sits in the hot seat, we check tax facts
We looked at two claims -- one by a Republican lawmaker, one by a Democratic lawmaker -- that go to the heart of whether the IRS is too fearsome, or not doing enough
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Sander Levin
Says the inspector general for the IRS said there was "no political motivation" and ...
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Barack Obama
Says that since he took office, "there have been no large-scale attacks on the ...
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Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence Education Fund
A law that mandates fingerprinting for gun purchasers is "a requirement that's reduced gun ...
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Xavier Becerra
"We have a tax code that allows groups to use their political operations within ...
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Randy Forbes
"The IRS doesn't have to prove something against you ... you've got the burden ...
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Rand Paul
Says Hillary Clinton "was asked repeatedly to provide security in Benghazi on several occasions, ...
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Michele Bachmann
The IRS is going to be "in charge" of "a huge national database" on ...
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Michele Bachmann
The IRS is "going to be in charge of our health care."
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Michele Bachmann
"The IRS will have the ability potentially" to deny or delay health care.
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Nancy Pelosi
"The Affordable Care Act is bringing the cost of health care in our country ...
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Reclaim America PAC
Says Kelly Ayotte voted to "fix background checks."
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Jason Chaffetz
"We had people that were getting killed (in Benghazi), we had people who are ...
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Barack Obama
"Over the last several months, there was a review board headed by two distinguished ...
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Jay Carney
When Susan Rice spoke about Benghazi on Sunday news shows, she said "that al-Qaida ...
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Tom Coburn
"In 2010, everybody said you can't dare let guns go into the national parks, ...
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A scorecard separating fact from fiction
The state of Georgia lost 16 percent of its employees last year, and that percentage has risen over the past three years.
There are about 120,000 solar energy jobs in the United States, but only 1,700 of them are in Georgia.
Says Fulton County government hasn’t raised its millage rate since 1991.
Says President Barack Obama’s proposed budget includes two new tax increases that would collect about $14 billion.
The Georgia Lottery paid out $2.3 billion in prizes during the last fiscal year.
Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have cost every U.S. family $45,000.
U.S. Rep. John Barrow of Georgia has helped support the implementation of "Obamacare."
Then-Gov. Carl Sanders put 56 percent of the state budget into education, a figure that has not been achieved since.
In just six years, Georgia has dropped from first in the nation from a business-friendly legal climate to 24th.
"The port provides more than 297,000 jobs directly to the state of Georgia."
South Carolina has a labor shortage, specifically in the meatpacking industry.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham says South Carolina "has a labor shortage and wants more immigration."
Says state Senate leaders have accepted $142,400 in campaign contributions from dentists and pharmacists during the past two years.
"Despite having their budget increased by over 40 percent since 2009 … pending claims for benefits with the (Department of Veterans Affairs) have increased from 391,000 to 890,000 under the Obama Administration."
"Do you know those former Soviet Bloc countries have all moved to flat taxes?"
On allowing a vote on universal gun background checks in the U.S. Senate.
"Schools in some states are spending up to 100 days a year doing test-prep or actual testing."
About 3 percent of Gov. Nathan Deal’s appointments have been African-American.
Congress has spent 66 of the first 100 days of this term in recess.
The decision to remove Chick-fil-A from Emory University was based solely on student feedback.
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Every day, reporters and researchers from the Journal-Constitution examine statements by Georgia elected officials and candidates and anyone else who speaks up on matters of public importance. We research their statements and then rate the accuracy on our Truth-O-Meter:
TRUE – The statement is accurate and there’s nothing significant missing.
MOSTLY TRUE – The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information.
HALF TRUE – The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context.
MOSTLY FALSE – The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression.
FALSE – The statement is not accurate.
PANTS ON FIRE – The statement is not accurate and makes a ridiculous claim.
For more details, see the Principles of PolitiFact and the Truth-O-Meter.
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Says the inspector general for the IRS said there was "no political motivation" and "no outside influence" for targeting of tax-exempt applications from tea party groups
— Sander Levin
Says that since he took office, "there have been no large-scale attacks on the United States."
— Barack Obama
A law that mandates fingerprinting for gun purchasers is "a requirement that's reduced gun crimes in the five states where it's the law."
— Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence Education Fund-
"We have a tax code that allows groups to use their political operations within the tax code, under the guise of a charity, to use undisclosed millions of dollars to do political campaigns."
— Xavier Becerra
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"The IRS doesn't have to prove something against you ... you've got the burden of proof."
— Randy Forbes
