In the coming months the IRS is going to be more aggressive with audits and with enforcement and with collections and we think this is the time for you to be more aggressive with your plans to make use of the IRS Fresh Start Initiative and with the Offer In Compromise program. Our feeling is, the sooner you take steps to resolve your IRS tax debt the better off you’ll be and the easier it will be.
MORE MONEY FOR BIG IRS PLANS
There’s been a lot of big news in the last couple of weeks and it all adds up to the IRS having a plan to be more aggressive with collections and with audits. You heard about Congress and the President signing new legislation for the IRS to get nearly $80-billion with half of that money going towards collecting more tax money. Some of that money will go to adding perhaps as many 87,000 IRS employees. That legislation got lots of headlines. But there’s another report from the IRS that didn’t get big headlines but is important nonetheless.
THE NEW FOUR YEAR IRS PLAN
The IRS has announced a new four year strategic plan to make it more efficient and to increase the collection of tax dollars.
There are four categories in the plan and they are:
- Service – Provide quality and accessible services to enhance the taxpayer experience.
- Enforcement – Enforce the tax law fairly and efficiently to increase voluntary compliance and narrow the tax gap.
- People – Foster an inclusive, diverse and well-equipped workforce and strengthen relationships with our external partners.
- Transformation – Transform IRS operations to become more resilient, agile and responsive to improve the taxpayer experience and narrow the tax gap.
The category that caught our attention is “Enforcement.” Clearly the IRS wants to increase revenue. The government is counting on the IRS to do its share to help balance the federal budget, and collecting more tax revenue is the way to do it. The IRS says it will be targeting corportations and taxpayers who earn $400,000 per year and more, but we know that the IRS also can go after middle-income families as well. This new plan could have all sorts of implications for taxpayers who owe money to the IRS.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
Now that the IRS had announced this new strategic plan (and there’s $80-billion of new spending coming to pay for it) you should take action on your accounts. You should take action now to pay down or eliminate your IRS tax debt before the IRS has a chance to become more aggressive and perhaps become less agreeable to a compromise or other deal.
CALL FOR A FREE CONSULTATION
The IRS does have options available including the Fresh Start Initiative and the Offer In Compromise program. We’d like the chance to talk to your about the Fresh Start Initiative and the Offer In Compromise program now — before the IRS might make requirements stiffer. We offer a free telephone consultation to discuss these options. The conversation will take fifteen minutes or less and we’ll discuss if the Fresh Start Initiative or Offer In Compromise program are viable options for you. If they aren’t options for you, we’ll discuss other possible choices including ways you can pay down your debt by yourself and without paying us a fee.
The bottom line here is that increased enforcement is coming and it could mean many changes by the IRS. Get your applications in now before the IRS makes changes in the relief programs it offers because those changes might limit your options.