In her recent report to Congress, National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson urged the Internal Revenue Service to take steps to ease the tax burden on Americans hit by the recession and consider the economic circumstances of a taxpayer before initiating “enforcement actions.”

As I’ve said before, the IRS will continue to aggressively pursue tax collection compliance, despite the prevailing harsh economy. The IRS is under increasing pressure to track down the non-filers, tax cheats and the people who owe back taxes to increase revenue and close the growing tax gap. And it’s only going to get worse.

Nevertheless, the IRS recently released a fact-sheet offering what they are calling help for distressed taxpayers. In that announcement, the agency said it would consider postponing collection actions for those with financial hardships and add flexibility for missed payments, among other things.

This “kinder, gentler IRS” spin may work to gain a little positive PR, but it is not going to provide significant help for Americans who need tax relief. Trust me, the IRS is not in the business of writing off taxes or just simply handing out big refund checks. They have always been and continue to be the most brutal collection agency on the planet and those of us familiar with their uncompromising collection tactics know that it is very unlikely that they will start showing mercy now!

If you are in trouble with the IRS, our specialized staff of attorneys, CPAs, EAs and tax professionals can help. Visit the Tax Resolution Services web site  for a free tax relief consultation or call us at 866-477-7762.

More Tax Help, IRS News and Tax Relief Tips:

1. Insight into Most Serious Tax Problems from from National Taxpayer Advocate
2. We’ve Expanded to Help More Taxpayers Resolve Their IRS Tax Problems!
3. IRS Asserts Position on Tax Protesters: Sanctions Imposed for Advancing and Maintaining a Frivolous Argument
4. IRS Strategic Plan Addresses the Tax Gap and Focuses on Service and Enforcement over the Next Five Years
5. No Income Tax Rate Increase Until 2011 But Expect Increased IRS Audits of Tax Returns in Near Future

Tags: Back Taxes, internal revenue services, IRS enforcement, irs problems, Michael Rozbruch, Nina Olson, tax attorney, tax burden, tax expert, tax gap, tax help, tax relief, Tax Tips, Taxpayer Advocate

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 8th, 2009 at 3:23 pm and is filed under Tax news and tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.