OPINION:
The Internal Revenue Service has never been anyone’s favorite government agency, but recent revelations suggest it is as incompetent as it is onerous.
The delay of a $125 million payment to Virginia’s taxpayers (“Cuccinelli says IRS is blocking $125M check to Virginia,” Web, June 5), the result of a Medicaid fraud settlement, is the latest in a series of embarrassing failures by the IRS. State Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s Medicaid Fraud Unit successfully prosecuted Abbott Laboratories for promoting an antiseizure drug without prior approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
According to Mr. Cuccinelli, no one in the federal government disputed Virginia’s right to the settlement — so why the holdup? The culprit is apparently a two-page form that would release the funds the IRS cannot or will not process. This delay has gone on for months and has prevented local police and sheriff’s departments from purchasing equipment such as bulletproof vests, police vehicles and other imperative equipment.
By making his concerns public, Mr. Cuccinelli shows he has more respect for the taxpayers’ money than does the federal agency assigned to collect it.
NANCY ALMASI
Alexandria
Please read our comment policy before commenting.