This is a real excerpt from an email that I received the other day. I get emails like this just about every day but I found this one to be especially poignant. I have also posted my response in the hopes that it will help someone else before this happens to them!
Today I was financially raped by the IRS.
I am up to date on all my yearly tax returns.
Due to cashing out of a 401K in 2005, I owed roughly $9K to the IRS. They have Obviously been intercepting my federal tax returns which are about $3K a year. This year, they seized my economic stimulus check of $900.
They say since I have never formally setup a payment plan for the $9K, they had every right to take $1705.00 out of my checking account today 11/14/2008. It brought my bank account to zero and items starting bouncing now.
In my checking account, I recently deposited a check for $1200.00 from my home owners insurance for a claim regarding a tree falling and damaging my roof. That money was obviously for the average estimates of repair, for my roof repair claim.
As of today, currently I have less then -$22 to my name.
When I called them on teh afternoon of (11/14/2008) to get back the $1705, or at least the $1200 from my insurance company, the agent no longer wanted to deal with me because she stated I was "venting" and "raising my voice" and "interrupting her".
Our connection was not good (I was on a cell phone) which I apologized for and stated I was very financially devastated today. I am a single father of two teenage boys, I just got paid on Wednesday 11/12/08 and the IRS, after receiving at minimum $3,900 already this year, just took another $1705 out of my checking account leaving me with no ability to feed my family.
If the IRS recordings of my call where reviewed, I firmly believe it would show that the IRS agent was clearly the one not letting me finish my sentences. The recordings would also reveal that the IRS agent (Ms. Greer) lacked common courtesy and even an ounce of compassion. Finally, the recordings would show that she just "didn't want to deal with me" and in her words "we don't normally give back what we have taken, but I was going to see if a portion could be returned, but I am not going to do that because you vented on me".
I am totally blown away, and feel that I was financially raped by the IRS on Friday, November 14th, 2008.
They came in like thieves in the night and stole food from my children’s mouths. They took my ability to put gas in my car so I could make a living for my family and to pay the wretched IRS back.
Answer-I'm sorry to read about what happened. I want to strongly urge you to visit this webpage: http://www.irs.gov/advocate/article/0,,id=147000,00.html
There you can find the contact information for your local Office of the Taxpayer Advocate. You need to download a form 911 from the IRS website and fill it out. Then fax it to the Sacramento Taxpayer Advocate office. You need to indicate on the form 911 that your bank account has been levied, and that this has created an "economic hardship" for you. That they took the $1200 that was intended to fix the roof from the tree damage. It may take a week or so but I am confident that you can get the money back. Also indicate to the Taxpayer Advocate that you want an Installment Agreement in the amount of $150 per month. They should take that.
We can't really do anything about the bounced check fees. The IRS most likely had the right to do what it did. It would have been far better to have worked this out in advance but you didn't really know that at the time.
Take care,
Darrin Mish
Read the rest here:
Reader says he was “financially raped” by the IRS
This morning I’m taking a van shuttle from my neighborhood to BWI airport. At first it’s only the driver and me. Then another passenger gets on who’s apparently an acquaintance of the driver. After a few minutes of chit-chat, which is impossible not to overhear, the driver asks what their mutual friend, Eddie, is up to these days.
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