Owe IRS Back Taxes? Time to Seek Tax Help as IRS Prosecutions of Tax Cheats Increases
Every day, in cities across the country, people are being prosecuted or convicted of tax crimes. If you have IRS problems and are in need of tax relief, you should view these cases as warnings and act accordingly. If you’re struggling during these tough economic times, there are many options to consider for resolving your back taxes or other IRS woes.
Thomas and Brenda Ellis of Richmond, Va., had what many would consider a great business for cheating Uncle Sam. They were the owners of Buzz Thru Car Washes, an automated car wash service. Customers deposited cash and coins, then drove into the stall to have their vehicles cleaned. Cash revenue can be easy to hide from the IRS, right? That’s what the Ellises apparently thought. Brenda Ellis kept the books, and every day her husband Thomas would bring home the money to be counted, she tallied the cash in two registers — one showing the actual revenue, the other showing the revenue they intended to declare. The Ellises then deposited into the bank only as much money as they intended to declare, keeping the off-the-books income in cash to be used on personal expenses.
Untraceable, right? No way to be caught. Wrong. The IRS the most aggressive agency on the planet – they are always watching.
Thomas and Brenda Ellis pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the IRS of more than $133,000 in tax revenue. They face five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. But the Ellises’ case isn’t an isolated one — and that’s the point. There are many Americans just like them who cheated on taxes only to be caught, prosecuted and in many cases jailed.
Even if you think you can’t be caught — such as thinking there’s no way for the IRS to trace missing cash revenue — everyday cases of Americans being charged with or convicted of tax crimes should make you think otherwise.
Take some other cases, for example. Earlier this year, Iowa businessman Keith Chapman received three and a half years in prison after committing bankruptcy fraud and filing false tax returns. Or look at the case of John A. Gullett, of Parkland, Fla. He received more than four years in prison after failing to report about $3 million income. Like the Ellises, he apparently thought the IRS would have no way of tracing his income. And also like the Ellises, he was wrong.
If you’ve been cheating on your taxes, or are considering it during this sour economy, pay greater attention to the newspaper you read every morning. You’re likely to notice the stories you’ve been skipping over — the ones about tax cheats getting caught. They’re everywhere.
There’s a cold truth to stories such as these. It’s one thing to discuss numbers and figures. As I reported last month, for example, Congress increased the IRS’s enforcement budget to a record $5.5 billion — meaning more agents for more audits and more investigations. But what does that mean? Simply, it means there will be more stories like the Ellises, like Chapman, like Gullett. And like you? That’s the question you should ask yourself now if you’re in deep tax trouble. No matter how deep you’re in the hole, it’s always better to climb out willingly than to be found hiding down below. If you owe back taxes, have payroll tax problems or need tax help, contacting a professional tax attorney is your best move to IRS tax relief.
Tax Resolution Services, Co. is dedicated to providing affordable solutions to businesses and individuals alike who find themselves in trouble with the IRS. Our expert team of tax attorneys, CPAs, and Certified Tax Resolution Specialists has a success rate of 90% – second to none in the industry – and an Offer in Compromise Settlement Rate of $0.11 on the dollar. For more information or to receive a FREE tax relief consultation, visit www.TaxResolution.com or call 866-IRS-PROBLEMS.
More Tax Help, IRS News and Tax Relief Tips:
- Tax Help For Taxpayers Short on Cash: Filing a Tax Return Late is Better than Filing a False Tax Return
- Tax Help News: IRS Enforcement to Get Priority, Big Bucks in 2010
- Treasury Proposes Multilateral Agreement for Offshore Compliance
- Get Tax Help to Avoid Jail Time Like Las Vegas Man Charged With 15 Years For Tax Evasion
- Tax Help: How to Resolve Your Back Taxes & Prevent Tax Problems If You’re Short on Cash This Season
Tags: Back Taxes, FALSE TAX RETURNS, filing false federal tax return, IRS enforcement, irs problems, tax attorney, tax cheat, tax evasion, tax help, tax relief
June 10th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
[...] that grows by 10% each year. However, with federal initiatives aimed at narrowing this tax gap, the IRS is cracking down on tax evaders both big and small. There is a big difference between tax evasion and tax avoidance. While it is perfectly legal to [...]