Giving the IRS Credit
Does the name Vernon Hunter ring a bell? It should. Mr. Hunter was a Vietnam War veteran, a patriot for his country and the sole victim who was killed when Joseph Stack crashed his airplane into the IRS building in Austin, Texas. After the incident, not many voices decried the action of Stack. In fact, some eulogized him as some kind of hero who went against the establishment and extolled his action as speaking out for the millions of unheard voices dissatisfied with the IRS.
These same people make derogatory remarks about the IRS come every tax season, branding it almost like an oppressive regime bent on making life miserable for all and sundry. Its employees are pilloried like common thugs out to steal your money.
But let the truth be told to all. The fact is that our tax system allows many ways for innocent mistakes to be made, IRS agents often work out ways and means for you to pay your taxes in ways that you can afford and the tax system allows everyone the right to exercise their rights including the right to refunds and legal redress in any dispute. As Ken Hunter, Vernon’s son put it so succinctly, “If he (Stack) would have talked to my dad, my dad would have helped him.”
IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said of Hunter, “He was a manager of revenue officers, the people who go out in person to collect debts owed to the government. And while these are the very people who could be parodied as the prototypical IRS agent, they actually try to help people resolve their debts.” This is how IRS agents carry out their jobs, not to mention they also go after tax cheats. Without the actions of the IRS against tax evaders, the honest taxpaying public would be further burdened.
Even in the recent hotly debated issue of the government health care bill, Shulman stated plainly that the IRS will not hunt down those who do not purchase the health insurance. Furthermore, the penalties imposed for not purchasing the insurance are very low. In some instances, people are inclined to defer buying the insurance until they are certain they need it and still pay less in penalties than if they had purchased it in the first place.
So what is the IRS? It is the government agency given the thankless task of collecting tax revenue for the government that is used to fund our military, pay Medicare bills for our elderly folks, build roads and bridges, provide amenities, keep our food and drugs safe for consumption and do a host of other things we have come to expect our government to do.
Let’s give the IRS the credit where it is rightfully due.
Darrin T. Mish is a veteran, nationally recognized tax attorney who has focused on providing IRS help to taxpayers for over a decade. He regularly travels the country training other attorneys, CPAs and enrolled agents on how to handle their toughest cases with the IRS. He is highly ranked among the top attorneys in the country, with an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell and a perfect 10 on Avvo.com. Martindale-Hubbell has also honored him with a listing in their Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. He is a member of the American Society of IRS Problem Solvers and the Tax Freedom Institute. With clients on every continent but Antarctica, he has what it takes to solve your IRS problems no matter where you live in the world. If you would like more information about his practice and how he can help you, please call his office at (813) 229-7100 or toll free at 1-888-GET-MISH.
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