There seems to be no sign of intelligent life at the IRS.
The agency has apologized for the six-minute parody of “Star Trek” it made at a cost of nearly $60,000 in taxpayer money.
“The IRS recognizes and takes seriously our obligation to be good stewards of government resources and taxpayer dollars,” the agency said. “There is no mistaking that this video did not reflect the best stewardship of resources.”
House Ways and Means Committee investigators ripped the agency and said the video, featured in a 2010 IRS training and leadership conference, has no training value.
The film features the captain’s bridge of the Starship Enterprise and a female IRS worker dressed with Mr. Spock’s pointy ears. The ship approaches the planet “No-tax,” where there’s been a report of alien-identity theft.
“There is nothing more infuriating to a taxpayer than to find out the government is using their hard-earned dollars in a way that is frivolous,” said Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.).
Congressional investigators also looked at another video made by the internal revenue space cadets, this one a parody of “Gilligan’s Island.”
But investigators determined it was a legitimate video to train workers at Taxpayer Assistance Center outlets.