Years ago I read a book full of IRS horror stories. Gruesome as it sounds, some stories were worse than others. Take for instance, the story of Ms. Barron.
Back in 1997, Ms. Barron sued the IRS for $1 million in damages for what she said were ongoing illegal, intimidating, and stress-causing harassment that her husband suffered for years.
The stress was so great, and the harassment so intense, that her husband committed suicide to escape the IRS.
Apparently, he saw this as the only way out.
At one time, I guess her husband owned a business and that business was run up on the shore. They owed something like $80,000 in back taxes.
But… the tax debt, which followed them from 1986 to 1992, was compounding with interest and penalties. And, eventually, it mushroomed into a $233,268 tax bill.
Once it was assigned to an aggressive IRS agent, the agent’s team of hounds went to town.
They placed tax liens on the family’s primary home, as well as their summer home.
The husband also ran a law firm, and the IRS went after that, too.
At one point, the IRS started contacting the husband’s clients, telling them that when they received invoices for legal services from Ms. Barron’s husband, that they should instead just pay the IRS so they could apply it against the outstanding tax debt.
When the IRS finally foreclosed on the family’s home, Ms Barron’s husband drove to their summer home, parked in the garage, closed the door and let the car idle until he died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Did that stop the IRS?
Nope.
They pressed on, foreclosing on the family’s home, seizing all tax refunds, and also seizing the husband’s life insurance policies, all of which totaled far more than the amount owed to the IRS.
Immoral of the story?
Never let the IRS get ahold of you.
They are a legalized criminal organization that will destroy you if given the opportunity.
Years ago, while reading all these horror stories, I also read a fascinating book called “When You Owe The IRS”, which showed anyone how to protect themselves against said agency. And, one of the most important pieces of advice in the book (if I recall correctly) was to hire an “enrolled agent” for any complex tax matter. Enrolled agents are former IRS agents or tax specialists who have expertise in extremely complex tax issues. They are like a master tradesman, but for taxes.
Anyway, I can’t help you escape an outstanding tax bill, I can show you how to make your current savings, business capital, and future retirement income legally disappear in the eyes of the IRS (which, oddly enough, they enthusiastically support).
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