IRS Enforcement Archives - Page 2 of 2

25 03, 2009

The House (Probably) Can Tell Us Which Bailout Recipients Owe the IRS — And Should

By Allan|2020-02-12T14:20:21-05:00March 25th, 2009|Bailout, Federal Tax Lien, IRS Collection, IRS Enforcement, IRS Power, Tax Policy, Tax Privacy|0 Comments

One has to wonder if the House Ways and Means Committee’s subcommittee on oversight got it right when it told reporters that it could not legally release the names of the companies who received bailout money while owing back taxes, two of which owe more than $100 million each. (See Associated Press article, “Some Getting Bailout Cash Owe Millions In Back Taxes,” in the New York Times on 3/20/2009 A19 col. 6.)

Ordinarily, a taxpayer’s tax information, whether it is an individual or a business, is treated as very private, very secret. In fact, IRS employees can be, and are, fired, criminally charged, convicted, and sentenced for the Unauthorized Inspection of Tax Return Information or Accessing of Tax Account Information.

But, when a taxpayer is late in paying a tax bill, these super-strong privacy rules don’t fully apply anymore.

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20 02, 2009

A visitor asks: When does the statute of limitations run out on audits?

By Allan|2020-02-12T14:20:21-05:00February 20th, 2009|IRS Collection, IRS Enforcement, IRS Power, Limits on IRS Power, Statute of Limitations|2 Comments

The short answer is “3 years.” But, three years from what? I will shortly post a fuller discussion about how much time the IRS has to decide whether or not to audit someone and then do something about it.

12 02, 2009

Can the IRS file a lien without going to court?

By Allan|2020-02-12T14:20:21-05:00February 12th, 2009|Federal Tax Lien, IRS Collection, IRS Enforcement, IRS Power, Lien, Tax Problem Solving|0 Comments

A taxpayer searching around the internet asked this question. It is a very good question because it asks about the reach — and the limits — of the IRS’s power to reach into our lives whether we like it or not.

Liens 101: What is a Lien, Anyway?

For those unfamiliar with the term, a “lien” is essentially a claim — someone claims you owe them money.

In certain situations, the person (or business, or government agency) making the claim can file a document announcing this claim with the County Clerk or other public records authority.

By filing a lien with the County Clerk, the claimant announces to the world (and especially to credit reporting agencies) that the claimant says you owe it money.

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9 02, 2009

Church Sound Man To Face Taxman’s Music

By Allan|2020-02-12T14:20:22-05:00February 9th, 2009|Estimated Tax, IRS Collection, IRS Enforcement, IRS News, Tax, Tax Crimes|0 Comments

Nashville, TN — A Tennessee man who operates a business installing complex sound systems in church auditoriums nationwide, pled guilty to two counts of failure to pay federal income tax. As part of his plea, he admitted that he owes the federal government more than $300,000.

After admitting guilt in August, 2008, the sentencing hearing took place in January 2009. The court sentenced Charles Grecco, 44, of Franklin, Tenn, to serve 6 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and to pay restitution of $300,141.82 to the Internal Revenue Service.

According to the government, Grecco failed to pay more than $67,000 in federal income taxes for years 2001 and 2002 which was only two of the six tax years involved.

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