Platinum Tax Defenders and Sherri Gastelum: 5 IRS Issues That May Be Reasons to Hire a Tax Resolution Service
Los Angeles, California (PRWEB) July 02, 2013 -- For individual taxpayers, the recent Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) report may have bigger implications than unclear IRS rules about tax-exempt organizations. According to a July 1, 2013 report by Tax News (“Nina Olson Identifies Her US Tax Priority Issues”), taxpayer rights may be overlooked as the IRS struggles to overcome reduced funding and a backlog of identity theft files still open (tax news.com/news/Nina_Olson_Identifies_Her_US_Tax_Priority_Issues____61260.html). This TAS report (taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/userfiles/file/FullReport/Fiscal-Year-2014-Objectives-Report-to-Congress.pdf) indicates 7 areas in which the IRS may not respond well to taxpayers clarifying issues without professional help, says Sherri Gastelum (head of Platinum Tax Defenders), and suggests that a tax resolution service may provide necessary back tax help.
1. First, per Tax News, budget cuts will make it hard for the IRS to implement all of its current and future programs, including the new health care regulations.
2. Second, taxpayers who have been defrauded or shortchanged by a tax preparer have not been getting the resolution that they need since 2003, said Nina Olson in her report, calling the delays “egregious”. Out of 21 fraud cases involving a tax preparer, personally referred by Olson to the IRS Wage Commissioner, the average refund requested was just over $2,900, and the file had been open for almost 1.5 years already. This doubly underlines the need for finding a tax preparer with a good track record, says Sherri Gastelum, and a tax resolution service to speed the process of resolving tax issues.
3. Third, identity theft victims are suffering similar delays. The TAS report showed slow resolution and a higher than necessary number of legitimate taxpayer errors labeled as identity theft. Further, there was a 66% increase in TAS files related to identity theft just in the last seven months, compared to a 61% increase between year 2011 and 2012. By April 2013, 26 Taxpayer Assistance Orders were given to the IRS on hardship-related instances, to stop the IRS from moving forward and causing harm to the taxpayer. Sherri Gastelum says that a tax relief service may catch hardship issues that get overlooked by both TAS and the IRS.
4. Fourth, many IRS officers and staff are not getting the training that they need. Tax News pointed out via Olson's report that the training budget has gotten over an 80% reduction since 2010. The TAS report put it more boldly: “ The IRS will cut corners, eliminate protections it doesn’t understand and deems unnecessary, make decisions in ignorance of the law, and generally not spend the time necessary to understand specific taxpayer concerns until things reach a crisis level.” With that in mind, Platinum Tax Defenders encourages those needing back tax help to contact only tax resolution offices which provide a tax attorney and an Enrolled Agent on staff, for their knowledge of legal protections afforded to taxpayers.
5. Fifth, the average taxpayer has a lot of fears about the IRS and what it can do, perhaps because of a lack of knowledge about what rights exist for the individual. Tax News quoted a TAS survey, in which only 46% of American taxpayers believed that individuals do have tax rights, and only 11% thought they knew what those rights might be. Platinum Tax Defenders says that a large part of the value in hiring a tax resolution services is in the chance to get educated on what rights the taxpayer does have, and what the IRS is or isn't allowed to do.
Platinum Tax Defenders is based in Simi Valley, California. Sherri Gastelum is President of both PTD and the Simi Valley Chapter of the National Association of Professional Women. Her associate, Dustin Wetton, is a tax attorney (with a law degree from California Western School of Law) and team leader of the Enrolled Agents, tax specialists, and fully qualified CPA's that can help taxpayers get reductions and back tax help for federal or state tax issues. Platinum Tax Defenders' website shows actual records of recent successful Offer in Compromise negotiations. To speak with a tax specialist in a free consultation, call 1-877-668-1807, or send an email to info(at)tax-resolution(dot)me.
Sherri Gastelum, Platinum Tax Defenders, http://tax-resolution.me, 1-877-668-1807, [email protected]
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