WBRZ - Baton Rouge

Tagged News

• News 2 Investigates: Into the Mystic

  June 12, 2013 10:43 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Tonight, News 2 investigates a Baton Rouge charity run by a self-proclaimed "mystic" and her husband who face serious questions about their finances. John and Cathy Gabel with St. Joseph Helpers have been a thorn in the side of the Catholic Church for years. Cathy has... more »

• Area congressman wants major changes amid IRS drama

  June 4, 2013 10:45 PM

  WASHINGTON, D.C.- Congressman Bill Cassidy (R-Baton Rouge) Tuesday, called for the IRS to be abolished and replaced. "Our privacy and political freedoms should not be sacrificed," Rep. Cassidy said. Cassidy said he is frustrated after it was revealed the IRS may have increased scrutiny on political organizations like... more »

• Leaders of conservative groups talk of IRS abuse

  June 4, 2013 3:26 PM

  WASHINGTON - Leaders of tea party and other conservative groups have been telling a House panel today about what they say has been years of abuse by the Internal Revenue Service. They say that when they applied for tax-exempt status, the IRS responded by asking them inappropriate questions. The leader... more »

• IRS replaces official who oversaw targeting

  May 23, 2013 4:58 PM

  WASHINGTON - A day after she refused to answer questions at a congressional hearing, Lois Lerner has been replaced as director the Internal Revenue Service division that oversaw agents who targeted tea party groups. Danny Werfel, the agency's new acting commissioner, told IRS employees in an email Thursday that he... more »

• Acting IRS chief says it wasn't about politics

  May 17, 2013 8:03 AM

  WASHINGTON - The man who's just been forced out as acting chief of the IRS is apologizing for what he calls "the mistakes that we made and the poor service we provided." Steven Miller has been testifying today to the House Ways and Means Committee about the IRS targeting of... more »

• 2nd IRS official to leave amid tea party scandal

  May 16, 2013 4:14 PM

  WASHINGTON - A second top Internal Revenue Service official has announced plans to leave the agency amid the controversy over the targeting of tea party groups. An internal IRS memo says Joseph Grant, commissioner of the agency's tax exempt and government entities division, will retire June 3. Grant joins Steven... more »

• Obama: IRS acting commissioner has resigned

  May 15, 2013 4:37 PM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says the acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Steven Miller, has submitted his resignation in the aftermath of an investigation that found the agency improperly targeted conservative groups. Obama says Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew requested Miller's resignation. Obama says he also insists that safeguards... more »

• Obama to meet with Treasury officials over IRS

  May 15, 2013 1:21 PM

  WASHINGTON - The White House says President Barack Obama will meet with Treasury officials Wednesday to discuss the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups for special review. White House press secretary Jay Carney says Obama expects people to be held accountable. The meeting comes in the aftermath of an... more »

• Justice to investigate IRS targeting of tea party

  May 14, 2013 3:46 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is investigating the Internal Revenue Service for targeting tea party groups for extra scrutiny when they applied for tax exempt status, Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday. Holder said the FBI will investigate to see if any laws were broken. He said he ordered the... more »

• IRS targeting draws ire from local political groups Play Video

  May 13, 2013 6:09 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A report showing agents at the IRS targeted conservative groups who applied for tax exemptions drew the ire of local political groups. The IRS didn't target the Tea Party of Louisiana, but the group still believes it's a violation of their freedom of speech. "When you... more »

• IRS: Top official first told of targeting in 2012

  May 13, 2013 5:00 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service says acting IRS Commissioner Steven T. Miller was first informed in May 2012 that tea party groups were inappropriately targeted for scrutiny. A month later he wrote a member of Congress to explain the process of reviewing applications for tax-exempt status without mentioning the... more »

• President calls IRS targeting of conservative groups "outrageous"

  May 13, 2013 11:28 AM

  WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Obama is calling the IRS focus on conservative groups 'outrageous,' and says people are 'properly concerned' The IRS apologized Friday for scrutininzing the tax-exempt status of groups with conservative titles such as "Tea Party" or "Patriot" in their applications. The Democratic chairman of the... more »

• Minister under investigation for fraud Play Video

  April 4, 2013 12:51 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A pastor is under investigation for the way he runs an apartment complex which houses people with mental disabilities. Reginald Stewman faces possible jail time for IRS fraud, the Social Security Administration is looking into his business practices, and now the state is investigating if he's... more »

• Ex-IRS agent charged with conflict of interest

  March 29, 2013 10:18 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A former supervisory agent at the Baton Rouge office of the Internal Revenue Service has been charged in connection with her alleged unauthorized and simultaneous operation of a private tax service. The Advocate reports 61-year-old Jeanne L. Gavin faces one count of conflict of interest and one... more »

• IRS: Tax glitch to delay some returns

  March 14, 2013 8:35 AM

  KANSAS CITY, Mo.- A tax-preparation glitch affecting about 660,000 tax returns will delay refunds by as long as six weeks, with customers of the nation's largest tax preparer among those affected. The Internal Revenue Service says the problem involved a form used to claim educational credits and occurred between Feb.... more »

• IRS says quit checking so much

  February 14, 2013 7:26 PM

  The IRS requests taxpayers stop checking its website and phone app every few minutes for updates on when their refunds are going out. It says its "Where's my refund?" feature is being overwhelmed. Instead of checking every five minutes, the IRS says check the site once a day. The agency... more »

• IRS loses lawsuit in fight against tax preparers

  January 18, 2013 5:33 PM

  WASHINGTON - A federal judge has ruled that the IRS lacks authority to impose new regulations, including a competency exam, on hundreds of thousands of tax preparers. The ruling Friday from Judge James Boasberg bars the IRS from implementing a host of regulations that would have required tax preparers to... more »

• Tax filing season starts Jan. 30 for most filers

  January 8, 2013 1:19 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service says late changes to federal tax laws should mean only a short delay for most taxpayers to file their 2012 returns. The agency said Tuesday that more than 120 million taxpayers - about 80 percent of all filers - should be able to start... more »

• Deadline approaching for Isaac-delayed taxes

  January 7, 2013 10:25 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The IRS reminded people today that this Friday is the deadline for certain tax filings delayed by Hurricane Isaac. After Isaac passed through Louisiana on Sept. 5, the IRS postponed several tax filing and payment deadlines for taxpayers in Louisiana and Mississippi, giving them until Jan.... more »

• Experts: SC hacking largest vs. state tax agency

  October 31, 2012 12:36 PM

  CHARLESTON, S.C. - Experts say that the hacking of 3.6 million South Carolina tax returns is the largest cyber-attack against a state tax agency in the nation. Paul Stephens of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse in California says there have been larger attacks against both private companies and the federal government... more »

• Feds seize $60,000 from Mystic Pizza owners

  March 8, 2012 12:34 PM

  MYSTIC, Conn. - The U.S. Treasury Department has seized more than $60,000 from a bank account of the owners of the Mystic Pizza restaurant made famous in a 1988 movie starring Julia Roberts. The Day of New London reports that federal authorities took the money from the account of John... more »

• Avoid IRS tax problems

  February 10, 2012 10:33 AM

  BATON ROUGE - This is the time of year millions of Americans dread, tax season. This year the tax deadline is April 16th. If you haven't filed your taxes yet, then watch NEWS2 tonight at 6pm. Olivia LaBorde has tips from the Internal Revenue Service that can... more »

• IRS kicks off 2012 tax season with deadline extension

  January 4, 2012 2:16 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service today opened the 2012 tax filing season by announcing that taxpayers have until April 17 to file their tax returns. The IRS encourages taxpayers to e-file as it is the best way to ensure accurate tax returns and get faster refunds. The... more »

• IRS investigating Denham Springs motorcycle shop

  October 26, 2011 11:41 AM

  DENHAM SPRINGS - Federal agents closed a Denham Springs motorcycle and ATV shop this morning as part of an Internal Revenue Service investigation. IRS agents were seen coming in and out of Calmes Motorsports on Florida Ave. this morning. A spokesperson confirmed the IRS Criminal Investigations Division were conducting... more »

• Thousands of La. organizations lose tax status

  June 9, 2011 10:36 AM

  BATON ROUGE - More than 4,200 Louisiana organizations have had their tax-exempt status revoked by the Internal Revenue Service for not filing annual reports. The IRS put out a list of 275,000 groups nationwide that lost their tax exemptions because of the 2006 Pension Protection Act, which automatically revokes... more »

• Taxpayer identity theft soaring

  June 1, 2011 12:29 PM

  WASHINGTON - The IRS is grappling with soaring taxpayer identity theft. Unsuspecting victims are filing for their refunds, and learning the money had been paid to someone using the same name and Social Security number. The Associated Press has obtained a Government Accountability Office report showing there were... more »

• Tax deadline approaching fast

  April 18, 2011 7:10 PM

  BATON ROUGE- The deadline to file your federal taxes is tonight at midnight, but already record numbers have e-filed their returns. According to the IRS nearly 1.5 million people in Louisiana have filed their taxes and 1.3 million of those have done it electronically. "A lot of people are... more »

• Economic Boost: Tax Refunds

  March 31, 2011 7:32 PM

  The IRS expects to issue up to $300 billion in tax refunds this year in what could be a boost to the economy. The IRS Commissioner told Congress on Thursday the average refund is about $3,000 this year with the revenue service receiving about 75-million returns. About 65-million qualify for... more »

• House Republicans seek IRS probe of AARP

  March 30, 2011 1:11 PM

  WASHINGTON - House Republicans want the IRS to investigate whether AARP's lucrative insurance business violates its status as a tax-exempt organization. The seniors lobby pushed for President Barack Obama's health care law, which was solidly opposed by Republicans. On Wednesday, three senior GOP lawmakers released a report estimating... more »

• Don't Mess with the Tax Man

  February 4, 2011 7:40 PM

  A woman in Mississippi admits she tried to bribe an IRS employee in an attempt to lower her federal taxes. Sixty-three year old Rene Coleman of Jackson tried to pay the employee $2,000 cash to reduce how much she owed after she was audited. The IRS worker told her supervisor... more »

• IRS issues new phone app to track refund

  January 24, 2011 1:31 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - For people who just can't enough of the Internal Revenue Service, the federal tax collection agency is coming out with a new phone app. The app, called IRS2Go, allows taxpayers to track their tax refunds and get tax tips form the IRS. It's free, and... more »

• IRS audits jump by 11 percent, wealthiest targeted

  December 15, 2010 1:17 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service is making it riskier to cheat on your taxes. The tax agency increased the number of returns it audited by nearly 11 percent this year. Statistics released Wednesday show that wealthy taxpayers were most likely to be targeted. In all, the... more »

• Independent unit working tax disputes in Louisiana

  October 25, 2010 11:12 AM

  The Louisiana Department of Revenue has established an independent unit to work with taxpayers disputing audits. The Audit Protest Bureau was set up to give taxpayers who are in the early stages of disputing an audit an alternative to the court system. The bureau is managed by tax experts who... more »

• IRS giving tax credits to homeowners with Chinese drywall

  October 1, 2010 7:24 PM

  Homeowners who have had Chinese drywall removed from their house are getting help from the federal government. The IRS will give tax credits to anyone who’s had Chinese drywall remediation between 2001 and 2009. Homeowners aren’t eligible if they’ve been previously compensated by an insurance company or other companies.... more »

• IRS won't be mailing tax forms next year

  September 29, 2010 1:29 PM

  Don't look for tax forms and instructions in your mailbox next year. The Internal Revenue Service has decided to stop mailing them because so many people now file electronically. The Washington Post reports on its website Monday that the IRS expects to save about $10 million a year... more »

• IRS provides assistance to spill victims

  July 17, 2010 7:18 PM

  The IRS is hoping to provide relief to oil spill workers and folks affected by the spill on the gulf coast. A special assistance day was held to inform residents of how certain payments from BP could affect their tax situation. "Payments from BP may or may not be... more »

• IRS wants cut from BP payments for lost wages

  June 25, 2010 12:53 PM

  The Internal Revenue Service wants its cut from oil spill victims who receive BP payments for lost wages. The agency says that under current law, BP payments for lost wages are taxable - just like the lost wages would have been. The IRS says payments for physical injuries or... more »

• More people in Louisiana choose to e-file their taxes

  March 25, 2010 11:14 AM

  The number of people in Louisiana electronically filing their taxes has increased by nearly four percent as compared to last year. So far, 888,107 people have e-filed across the state. The total returns filed so far stack up to 1,062,769. more »

• Another charged in BR City Court scandal

  March 16, 2010 2:34 PM

  A 10th person has been charged in an ongoing investigation of Baton Rouge City Court. Robert L. Stevens, 61, of Baton Rouge, was charged with conspiracy to use interstate facilities in aid of racketeering, according to U.S. Attorney David Dugas. Stevens allegedly accepted bribes from individuals with pending criminal... more »

• Texas plane crash pilot apparently left suicide note

  February 18, 2010 1:25 PM

  UPDATE: A federal law enforcement official has identified the pilot in the Austin, Texas, plane crash as Joseph Stack and says investigators are looking at an anti-government message on the Web linked to him. The Web site outlines problems with the IRS and says violence "is the only answer." The... more »

• Woman wins deductions from IRS for sex-change

  February 3, 2010 8:20 PM

  A woman who battled the IRS over a tax deduction for a sex-change operation won when the U.S. Tax Court sided with her and against the tax man. Rhiannon O'Donnabhain sued the IRS three-years ago when the agency rejected a $5,000 deduction for about $25-thousand in medical expenses associated with... more »

• Haiti donations qualify for immediate tax relief

  January 26, 2010 10:45 AM

  People who give to charities to help with earthquake relief in Haiti can claim the donations on their 2009 tax return. The new law only applies to monetary contributions made between January 11 and March 1, 2010. Donations of items such as clothes, medicine and other supplies do not qualify.... more »

• Final week of Tax Amnesty Program

  October 27, 2009 9:15 AM

  This is the final week for residents in Louisiana to take part in the state's Tax Amnesty Program. Kent LaPlace crunched the numbers this morning with JP on how you could save money on late taxes. Also, for more information click here . more »

• Abuse threatens popular tax credit program

  October 22, 2009 11:13 AM

  Congress is looking into possible fraud among those taking advantage of the first-time home buyer tax credit. An IRS watchdog told a House panel that more than 19,000 people filed 2008 tax returns or amended returns claiming the credit for homes they had not yet purchased. Those claims amounted to... more »

• 401k contributions same in 2010

  October 15, 2009 8:50 PM

  No changes in 2010 to the maximum amount you can contribute to your 401k and other retirement plans, according to the Internal Revenue Service. The agency said it is keeping the maximum contribution rate at $16,500 instead of lowering it as some had feared. Retirement plan advisers said a lower... more »