Preparing for Tax Season 2011: What To Do If You Have Outstanding Tax Problems

It’s that time of year again, when newspapers and websites are full of information about what you need to do to get ready for the upcoming tax season.  There’s lots of websites that offer free tax preparation, agencies that coordinate volunteer tax preparers and do-it-yourself guides that promise to reduce even the most complex return into a quick and easy refund check.

It sounds like good advice – but is it good for you?

The answer is a qualified “It depends!”  Many of the resources you’ll find listed in articles like these are great for taxpayers who have simple returns and are current with their tax obligations. However, if you’re currently embroiled in negotiations with the IRS or have tax issues that you haven’t addressed, you need professional assistance.

Finding Help For Your Tax Problems

The best way to help yourself resolve your tax problems is to work with a qualified tax professional.  You have to be honest with these people and let them know the full magnitude of what they’re dealing with.  Don’t withhold information for fear that the tax professional might ‘judge you’ – there’s nothing that they haven’t heard before!

Often times, people think that their tax problem is so unique and one of a kind that nothing could be done to resolve it.  Nothing can be further from the truth! Every tax problem has a solution.  You just need to work with someone who knows how to find it!

This year, the deadline for filing your 2010 federal tax return is April 18th.  That means you have just over one hundred days to get ready to send your return and any payment due to the IRS.  You also have one hundred days to start addressing your outstanding tax issues. Don’t wait until the last minute — there’s nothing harder to find than a tax expert with a free moment on April 15th!  You deserve expert assistance with your tax problems.

No Pardon for Billy the Kid: What About YOUR Tax Problems?

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has just announced that he will not pardon Billy the Kid, citing a lack of conclusiveness and historical ambiguity surrounding the pardon allegedly promised to Billy by then governor Lee Wallace.   The value of a pardon to Billy is of some question, as he has been dead for quite a while now. If he was hoping for official state forgiveness from some spectral perspective, surely he is disappointed but not surprised — many commentators had said the pardon didn’t have a ghost of a chance.

Massachusetts Tax Help

Why did the effort to pardon Billy the Kid fall apart?  Some of the issue is the lack of clear documentation about what happened around Billy’s case.  A lack of documentation can be a big problem for tax payers as well: without the right records and proof of your income, expenses, and more, it’s difficult to defend yourself against allegations from the IRS and state tax authorities.  If they say you’re not in compliance, and you have no proof to the contrary, are you out of options?

Did you know that the IRS keeps records about every taxpayer?  The Freedom of Information Act, passed by Congress in 1966 and updated three times since, entitles you to a copy of the file the IRS has on you.  Getting a copy of this file can be essential in helping you determine the best way to resolve your tax issues.  Professionals such as a tax CPA or income tax attorney request and access these records all of the time to best protect their client’s interests.  You can request a copy of your file yourself, but that request from an individual taxpayer can attract unwanted attention.  Interpreting the IRS’s files is difficult and requires specialized knowledge.

You deserve qualified, experienced professional assistance with your tax problems.  You have a right to know the information the IRS keeps about you and your family!  There may be some unanswered questions about Billy the Kid’s history with the government — but you don’t need to have any unanswered questions yourself!