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New Year's Resolution: No More Tax Problems
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Well, if you have any tax problems or are cheating Uncle Sam in any way,you should be.
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The Internal Revenue Service, once the butt of late-night television jokes, has changed. It’s now an aggressive agency with the tenacity and bite of a pit bull.
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The IRS’s enforcement numbers in 2005 were up substantially compared to the year before — 20 percent more people were audited, including 221,000 taxpayers who earned more than $100,000 per year. All across the board, audits were up and enforcement wasiron-fisted.
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It’s not a good time to be cheating on your taxes. Just ask a few of these folks:
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Singer-songwriter Ronald Isley, of the Isley Brothers, was convicted on five counts of tax evasion and one count of willful failure to file a tax return. He faces up to 26 years in the Big House.
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Richard Hatch, the first winner of the reality television show Survivor, was charged with a 10-count indictment that alleges fraud and tax evasion. Prosecutors claim Hatch tried to avoid paying taxes on the $1,010,000 he won on the 2000 TV show. If convicted, he faces up to five years in the hoosegow.
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Adrian K. Karsten, a former ESPN sportscaster and winner of a 1991 Emmy Award, received 11 months of home confinement after pleading guilty to two counts of failing to file income tax returns.
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Lee Mroszak, a Gulf War veteran who is best known as “Crazy Cabbie” on the Howard Stern Show, received one year behind bars after pleading guilty to tax evasion.
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And the list goes on and on and on.
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Get the picture?
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Uncle Sam means business, and for the past three years, the IRS has been getting more and more aggressive. There’s no tolerance for tax cheats and tax-avoidance schemes.
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What’s more, 2006 will likely bring even more activity. Congress has already approved funding to allow the IRS to be as aggressive as it was in 2005, if not more.
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If you’re one of the thousands of Americans with tax problems, you now have an ultimatum: consult with a qualified tax professional and resolve your problems once and for all or the roll the dice and take your chance.
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You might not get caught this year. You might not get caught next.
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But you will get caught. This year, make a wise New Year’s Resolution.
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Darrin T. Mish is a Nationally recognized Attorney whose practice focuses on representing clients across the United States with IRS Problems.He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbel and is a member of the American Society of IRS Problem Solvers and the Tax Freedom Institute. He has been honored by a listing in Martindale-Hubbel's Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. He can be reached at his website at http://www.getIRShelp.com
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