Having a bad day? Take it out by levying someones bank account or sending out a wage garnishment! If you are miserable why shouldn't everyone else be? IRS ACS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS! |
Here is a brief example of what I deal with on a daily basis throughout the work week:
1) Wait on hold from anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour (most often closer to an hour).
2) Speak to some angry IRS collection representatives who has been brainwashed to think that people who don't pay their taxes are criminals and deserve to be told a lesson about how morally correct it is to pay their taxes on time (which is really annoying for me having to hear the same lecture every time I call).
3) You think judges who legislate from the bench are bad? Try dealing with a lowly IRS bill collector who tries to legislate from his cubicle.
Example: I had a client last week who owed an amount so low that by law she was guaranteed a 5-year installment agreement. I asked for this particular client to be placed into this type of payment plan and the ACS Agent says to me, "This taxpayer has avoided us for so long, why should we place her on an installment agreement." I politely said, "Because per the tax code the Service is required to grant this taxpayers request." The agent says he doesn't believe this taxpayer deserves to be placed on a payment plan and they are going to continue to garnish her wages if I can not convince him why they should lift the wage levy (garnishment)!!! Immediately after he said that I asked to speak with a supervisor and of course it was going to take 24-48 hours for one to call me back. So I called back talked to another agent and had the payment plan set up and garnishment released (although instead of faxing to me they mailed it to the employer which is another story).
Dealing with the IRS Automated Collection Systems (ACS) is a nightmare and continues to get worse. If this economy is as bad as the media says it is (or is it a conspiracy so billionaires can get away with paying employees less so they can skim more off the top?) then the IRS should have no problem finding competent employees to staff their collection division (although being competent and having a desire to work for an oppressive big brother organization like the IRS is a paradoxical juxtaposition of two seemingly contradictory values).
4) Good luck trying to find two ACS agents who will tell you the same thing. Sometimes I just have to laugh at the misinformation that these agents spew. If you don't know the laws you are screwed, although the IRS is able to convince some misguided individuals, they ARE NOT THERE TO HELP YOU!
I could not imagine being a taxpayer who owes money and dealing with the IRS/ACS on my own.
Nicholas Hartney, E.A.
720-340-4065