Debt Resolution, IRS Settlements Offer Help for Serious Tax Problems
San Mateo, Calif., – With tax day behind us, consumers and business owners who owe the IRS are not out of the woods. But while death and taxes are the big two inevitabilities, those with serious tax problems should know that it is possible to negotiate with the IRS to reduce past-due tax penalties and payments, according to Bradford G. Stroh, co-founder and CEO of Freedom Financial Network, LLC.
Americans, carrying more debt than ever, are also more likely to have tax problems than in the past. In 2004, the total of uncollected IRS taxes reached upwards of $250 billion. The number of levies (a key enforcement tool in which the IRS takes possession of assets to collect on unpaid taxes) topped 2 million during fiscal year 2004 – a 21 percent increase from 2003 and triple the 2001 number.
According to Stroh, taxpayers with tax debts under $10,000 usually can manage the payment on their own or via an installment plan arranged with the IRS. “Tax problems merit professional help when individuals cannot pay tax liabilities of $10,000 or more,” Stroh says. “At that...