Beware the I.R.S.’s Speeded-Up Audit

New York Times ^ | 04/30/2015

[SeekAndFind]

TO those of us who fear the I.R.S. and the possibility of a tax audit, it sounded like good news. In March, the I.R.S. commissioner, John A. Koskinen, told employees that because of budget cuts, the agency “had to do less with less” — reduce taxpayer services, delay refunds and do fewer audits. But alas, the outcome is not what it seems. Those who do get caught in the I.R.S.’s net may be in for a terrible time and lose some of the rights set out in last year’s new taxpayer bill of rights.

Examiners for the I.R.S. are giving taxpayers and their accountants much less time to respond to certain audit letters. There is no way to know how many audits are being done more quickly. My company represents taxpayers who are facing audits, and since last fall we have found that many of them have been hit with the speeded-up timetable. An initial request for an appointment is followed quickly — in some instances, on the same day — with a follow-up letter that states that the requested information has not been received.

Of course it hasn’t; the taxpayer just got the first letter! The second letter threatens the loss of the right to appeal within the I.R.S., forcing recipient to go into the court system to resolve the case.

The letters are in language that are mystifying for the average citizen. Here’s an example: “As of the date of this letter, we haven’t received all of the information we requested on Form 4564 ... If you don’t provide the information requested on the enclosed Form 4564 or contact me to confirm you have no additional information to provide by the response due date listed above, we will close your examination based on the information we have now.”

[Taxman]

The solution is the FairTax!

[<1/1,000,000th%]

That’s what I was thinking.

[unixfox]

Hang these bastards and let the vultures feed from them.

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