Opinion

Many (un)happy returns

For months, IRS officials have stood ­accused of promoting their own ­personal political interests by targeting conservative groups. This week, they’re accused of having promoted their own personal ­financial interests, as well.

Anyone starting to see a pattern here?

Just as Americans get set to file their own tax returns over the next month and a half, a new report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration says nine out of 31 IRS executives — about 30 percent — improperly claimed “overnight long-term travel” as tax-exempt.

It also notes that the average reimbursement for 140.5 days worth of trips was a hefty $51,420. And its findings follow an earlier report that cited some $9 million spent by the agency on executive travel in fiscal 2011. That report blasted IRS leaders for their high travel expenses compared to officials in similar roles.

American taxpayers must feel like shnooks. Here they labor mightily just to understand the tax code and then pay through the nose to comply with it. Meanwhile, the agency seems to be running amok and abusing the very power it is given — whether politically or financially.

Nor can officials say they didn’t understand the rules: “The IRS has established adequate guidance defining when travel is taxable,” the auditors wrote. “However, the guidance was not consistently ­followed.”

And remember, this is the agency that administers the rules for everyone else.

If the goal here is to erode faith in ­government, these guys are doing a ­heckuva job.