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Know Your Taxpayer Rights
March 29, 2011
Last week, I received a frantic call from a woman who had utilized a free IRS service to file her 2010 taxes. While conversing with the IRS representative who helped her file her 2010 taxes, she found out that her 2009 return, which was filed electronically, was rejected and never re-filed. She immediately went to a pay-for tax service and filed that return. The woman was concerned that due to the non-filed 2009 return, the IRS would show up within days to repossess her property and/or garnish her accounts or wages. Why did she think this way? Because that is what the IRS representative who helped file her return told her. Now, I do take what I hear with a grain of salt. Having run a program in the past that was partially funded by the IRS, I understand how someone might mistake a return preparer at an IRS funded program for an official IRS representative. While I cannot confirm the identity of the individual who told her such garbage, I can confirm that return preparer was an idiot. The Internal Revenue Service’s Mission Statement is to “provide America’s taxpayers top quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and by applying the tax law with integrity and fairness to all.” Seems straightforward enough, and to be honest, IRS representatives do try hard to be fair and courteous in their dealings with both myself and my clients. Very few people know that the IRS has published a taxpayer “bill of rights.” This list of rights essentially spells out the substantive rights each taxpayer has when dealing with the IRS. Rather than re-write them all, you can read them [here]. The return preparer failed this woman by not explaining to her that before the IRS could show up and take anything from her, she was entitled to due process of the law. The IRS must follow due process procedures just like any other entity that can potentially deprive someone of personal property. My advice – take the time to learn about your rights as a taxpayer.