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CAUTION: There are many providers of
Tax Services on the
internet who will submit your Offer in Compromise forms,
and financial statement forms with schedules.
However, they merely have you complete the forms.
They have done nothing for you. In fact, they may end up
costing you more because critical review and analysis has not
been done by an experienced tax attorney. Some "tax
mills" refuse to even allow you to speak directly with the
"tax professional" who is actually representing you
before the IRS. They claim it is administrative cost
savings.
When completing the financial statement forms,
whether making an Offer in Compromise, installment payment
proposal, or claim of undue hardship, you are painting a financial picture that will
be an important factor in determining the outcome of your case.
Unless your
representative has the necessary skills and experience, and you
can speak to the representative working your case and ask
questions, you may
have paid a small fee, only to suffer unnecessary financial
hardship. Your
professional must have experience in: calculating your income
and expenses; determining the amount of the offer or installment
payments; analyzing your income and expenses; reviewing joint
ownership considerations; working with the tax law and IRS
internal procedures; arguing the facts and the law, and
negotiating with the IRS.
The IRS has a history of intimidation, and let's face it,
they will take advantage of any taxpayer who represents himself,
and even a taxpayer's advocate who is weak. Remember, IRS Offer
Specialists generally have "collection" backgrounds
and they come at you from the perspective of getting as much
money as they can.
In the end analysis, you should measure the benefits
you derive from the final result. For a taxpayer to engage
someone who merely mails in your Offer forms for a $300.00 fee,
what at first blush looked like "such a deal", may in
reality end up costing you many thousands of dollars more
because you didn't choose a tax professional who would negotiate
the best settlement for you.
Please call for a free consultation.
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