Republicans urge stop to IRS tax-exempt groups rule rewrite

[February 07, 2014]  By Patrick Temple-West

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Senior congressional Republicans on Thursday called for a halt to a U.S. tax rule rewrite that would affect powerful political pressure groups, charging that the overhaul could be politically motivated by the Obama administration.

"Abandon this proposed rule," 11 top Republicans said in a letter signed by House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner and sent to Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen.

"Finalizing this proposed rule would make intimidation and harassment of the administration's political opponents the official policy of the IRS," the letter said.

The demand was the latest jab by Republicans at the Obama administration in a fight over IRS treatment of conservative political pressure groups organized under tax code Section 501

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