The Internal Revenue Service has now released the Star Trek parody training video it produced at the cost of $60,000.  The video’s release was soon followed by a formal apology.

The IRS recognizes and takes seriously our obligation to be good stewards of government resources and taxpayer dollars. There is no mistaking that this video did not reflect the best stewardship of resources.

In the past few years the IRS has struggled fulfilling its responsibilities on a tight budget.  This video raises some serious questions for IRS management.

I watched every painful second of this video and, frankly, I’m more offended by the quality of the acting and the production than I am by the cost of making the video.  With that kind of budget I would have expected something better.  William Shatner himself found it apalling.  See for yourself: IRS Star Trek parody.

As a tax attorney I have spent hundreds of hours on the phone with IRS personnel over the years, and I can count on one hand the number of folks who had any sense of humor.  I think this video was well-intentioned, but it just reinforces the public perception that most IRS employees are unhappy working stiffs who lack passion and creativity and only care about punching out at the end of their shift.