Politicians, though, argue about what "fair" actually means, and without explanation one wonders whether this exhortation amounts to more than the equivalent of a mother telling her children to "be nice to each other".

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This was followed by a delayed refund of over one year without explanation, a second rejected e-file attempt when filing his 2011 return in October 2012, and finally notification from IRS in November 2012 that he was a victim of refund-fraud identity theft.

FORBES: Can This Tax Filing Season Be Saved?

So without an on the record confirmation this remains just what it is, my best explanation of what happened and one derived from the public facts before us.

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