I never knew...

..the IRS was in the business of cheating citizens, guess I was naive.

Got to the end of my first visit to the IRS auditor a few weeks ago, had all my stuff in line and squared away, was starting to feel pretty good. Then, right at the end, when she was telling about a few more small things she needed, she told me I couldn't use the Standard Mileage Deduction because I was a "car for hire, like a taxi" is exactly how it's worded in their code. So, instead of getting 50 cents per mile deduction on 150,000 miles driven, I have to use my fuel and maintenance receipts. They do not come close to equalling the SMD, as the standard mileage deduction also takes into account depreciation, etc. So, cut to the chase, they tell me I owe 30 thousand dollars. I was already trying to determine just how I would kill myself when my dad, ex-CPA, told me they do that all the time. They hit you with some crazy number, and if you don't know better and sign their paper, you owe it. Well, I didn't sign, went and got a tax attorney, (big big $$), and today she says that after "speaking to counsel" she was going to let me use the standard mileage deduction. Absolute BS!!! She knew I qualified for that deduction, but just tried to cheat me out of my money. I knew the IRS was bad, but to see my government actively trying to slam me for 30 grand??? Unflippinbelievable. At that first meeting I said, "A taxi? Like a passenger vehicle that moves people?" She said yes, that's right. I said, "Well, my van is designated as a cargo van, from the factory and with a "C" in the VIN#. I've never transported a person. I tow boats and trailers, and haul odds and ends inside the van." I then went on to show how I am exactly the opposite of a taxi. Taxis generally stay in one locale, I was coast to coast long hauling. Taxis don't tow anything, I always had something on my hitch. Taxis charge a set amount for time and distance, I was a custom shipper with differring prices for different items. I have one seat in my van, the drivers seat. And I went on and on. Seems I just had to pay a tax professional to tell her she was wrong, she wouldn't believe stupid little citizen me.

Bottomline, she was trying to rip me off, overtly and without apology. I did everything right, and she and the government tried to steal my money. Actually they did, as they forced me to hire an attorney.

Sorry for the rant. I just found this disgusting. My own government trying to screw me for no reason.

At least she didn't completely win.

I feel for you, but for every honest person like you, there are a dozen criminals trying to cheat the system. Maybe it was coming time for a review and she wanted to be able to say to her boss that "see I can get the big fish" (now promote me!).

How do you think they are going to pay for this health care BS ? Around my neck of the woods they like to prey on the farmer and small buisness. I compliment you on not signing the paper smart move, most would sign not knowing. It all go's back to predator prey relation.

Like I'm a big fish. That year I grossed $70,000, drove 150,000 miles to do it. Lost my backside.

But again, the thing that gets me is that this is my government flat out trying to cheat me. I didn't cheat, I didn't hide any cash, which 90% of my work was cash. I showed everything. I knew I didn't have anything to worry about. This is very wrong, and just shrugging and saying that's the way it is isn't good enough.

But this is OUR government. They don't tell us, we frickin tell them. Baby boomer generation has just taken it for 50 years and not done a dang thing to stop this government excess and abuse. Well, it's wrong, it shouldn't happen, and I'm not just gonna shrug my shoulders and say that's how it is, oh well. We need to start standing up for ourselves. How many hundreds of thousands of poor guys have been ripped off by them? Maybe millions. My dad says when he was an accountant that he saw businesses get bills from the IRS all the time, and paid them even though they didn't really owe. Some bookeeper would say, "Well, they said we owe so I paid it". He show them time and time again how it wasn't a legitimate bill. The IRS is flat-out crooked.

Well........everyone hates the IRS, and we need to do something about it.......Vote in November.

Only trouble is,we don't vote for the 4th branch of government,the bureaucrats.

I suspected... it could be this way. Have you noticed they have already put the IRS in charge of the finances for the new external_linklosie Health Care-less Plan.
Tim

Why do you think I always have a CPA prepare the tax return. She used to work for the IRS so she knows her way around that outfit. I have had one question in the 17 years I've used her and that time I just handed the question to her and nothing more was said--other then the return is OK.
Use a good CPA it's worth the cost.

Several years ago my dad went through an audit and the irs took 50 grand out of his bussiness account just before the audit.He died a few years later without getting it back.The audit found only minor stuff,mostly human errors from the irs office.

Yep CPA is cheap insurance as the IRS knows they can't BS the CPA on what is allowed and what isn't most likely an experienced CPA will know the law better than the person working for the IRS too

the government is about to hire 16,500 more "sharks in the water" IRS agents to enforce "healthcare". They don't get that reputation for nothing.

And just think, before long her boss will be make'n choices bout your health care!

Just think, the gov't just expanded its power the most inhistory, today. Had enough "change" yet?!

I bet you also didn't know that the IRS recently ordered around 400 new 12 Ga pump shotguns.

Kind of makes one wonder just what is coming down the pike.

Dean

With the IRS you are guilty until proven innocent. I use a CPA the used to work for the IRS, I think they are better than a regular CPA. Some accountants are afraid of the IRS and won't get you all of the deductions that you can get because they want to cover their azz.

I feel bad for you, but its been happening for years.

Yep "vote in November" BS IV HEARD THAT A 1000 TIMES. When is it gonna do anything. Out with one crook and in with another, WAKE UP. You keep on voteing.

Why would you think her boss would be doing it? The decision maker will be some minority, setting at a desk, unreachable by the person needing medical care, who has a hard-on for ANYBODY with a positive net worth, and will have the power of life and death over you.

The FEDERAL government, and ALL their employees is the enemy, and they have declared open warfare on the American working class.

The IRS has opened war on the working class now. If you fallow the chain of command up from this lady who tried extort him you will find the same figure head who will be calling the shot on our medical care now.

I agree with you, it's getting bad all over. The only good thing I can say is we lived to see the post Carter years with luck and God we will live past this.

Dave

Bad thing is this post is pushing 20 replies all together, not a one take'n up for this poor girl just do'n her job, and the fair tax still can't get any traction in Washington. Maybe some day we as a nation will be mad enough to do something constructive about this mess.

Same here. I hire an accountant so the tax office isn't so inclined to think I'm an easy target.
Wife had her personal business audited. Tallied up all the numbers and discovered the government owed us $200.00. The auditor look terribly disappointed.
One of the best days of my life.

I do my own taxes. If I had a IRS audit, I sure as heck would get a CPA. Looks to me more like the auditor was forcing you to get a CPA. Kind of like a judge forcing a defendant to get a lawyer.

You did the right thing with the tax attorney and if you want to hear some horror stories ask the tax attorney!I had one tell me that they had no idea of what the United States did to citizens until she started representing people.Now she says she is ashamed of our government for the crap they pull.

We aint seen nothing yet folks. Wait until the IRS is in charge of who has health care and who doesn't. Stan

Now why do you think an IRS agent is going to make Health Care decisions for anybody?

Whats going to happen is some insurance companys are going out of business.Then there will be something like Medicare mostly for people from 50 up.There wont be some IRS agent making decisions about anybodys health care.There will be IRS agents getting money from people who make over 250,000 a year,but if they have less than 50 employees they wont even be bothering them.

I hear you, I got hit a few years ago. They looked at 4 years returns, since I'd screwed up and already filed the current year. When it was all said and done I didnt owe anything over 4 years but between what my accountant charged me and what the bank charged for old statements and cancelled checks I was still out around 3 grand.

Fallow the chain of command up. Just like in your union if you fallow the chain of command up far enough you get to the boss. Every one who works for the fed has the same boss at the end of the day.

Like the guy on the OT said today, I too feel sorry for you. Every one should be able to live the American dream, you must have had a hard row to hoe to end up give'n up like this and be'n so bitter at every one who made a go of it.

Take care of your self Trucker, cause no matter what the news tells you no one else will.

Dave

I'd just as soon welsh on a loan from "Vinnie" and the boys than to owe the IRS money. At least with "Vinnie", he's only going to break your legs.

Ask the same question to two different people in IRS and you will get two different answers.

I was in a audit before this current president took office, Same BS. Most folks get out the check book and write a check because they do not want them to dig any deeper. I was two and a half years before I settled, and my CPA told me I did NOT owe the tax. However at close to $150.00 per hr, he said I could not afford to fight it. At the time it was seven hundred seventy seven dollars. Lose or lose?

All is fine, but the CPA sent me a bill for around eight thousand dollars.
He told me I had perfect books, (computer print out). I was missing twelve dollars worth of recipts for the two years I was audited. I did have the canceled checks for those twelve dollars worth of purchases that most of you folks ---THINK--is a legal recipt.

Alot of sleep was lost, and I know it was not fair, but this has been going on for years and years---regardless who is in office.

On the taxi issue, the Iowa DOT was bunched around a Amish auction a few years back. All the folks who made pocket change hauling the Amish around found out that they were considered a (for hire) taxi, and must have different isurance on their vehickles, and a whole lot of other things that cost them large dollars. If I recal correct, like sixty taxi drivers got busted with out a warning.

One guy I kinda know wispered in the DOT's ear, that he thought he was hauling farm animals, and offered the DOT guy to come into his van and smell for his self. The DOT guy asked the van driver if he had papers from a vet?

So the van driver could not leave it alone, and told the DOT guy HE should place his ill smelling cargo in custody in the back of the cop car---no deal, and he still got a fine.

The IRS is like any other government crapola, it is based on dollars, and not on saftey or anything else.

In Nov 08 we seen a revolt, and we probably will see the same next round, either way we still get the same government treatment.

Well, did you know that IRS agents are going to replace the doctors soon?

I have been on Medacare two years now and my wife is disabled and been on Medacare for five and so far they treat me much better than the insurance co. ever did!

Just a reminder to keep a few thousand salted away somewhere. I had two friends that had their bank accounts seized until they could prove that they didn't owe the money. They didn't even have money to buy gas and groceries. One of them was for late payment of estimated tax, which he had paid, turned out ,IRS computer error.More BS.

Too much information missing to form a good opinion. Just another way to look at things, right or wrong. Don't shoot the messenger. Just using ball-park figures, +/- 10%. The $.50 SMD barely covers the average econo-box family car.
In your response below you state 150,000 miles on $70,000 income. That comes out at less than $.50 a mile. Now total up actual expenses. Fuel, depreciation, fuel tax & lic/registration in each state traveled, cargo insurance, commercial liability insurance, meals & lodging, total expenses come close to $1.00 a mile without taking out wages for yourself. Commercial liability because 150,000 miles puts you at more risk than John Doe who drives less than 10,000 miles a year running to the grocery store. Not even figuring maintenance. Can't get by long on $20.00 Quicky Oil Change, couple sets of tires, brakes, etc.
If it doesn't generate at least $1.25 a running mile, better off to stay home.
Vehicle built as a commercial van doesn't mean anything. Those fancy conversion vans come from the original factory to the outfitters as bare bones units, with a temporary driver's seat to move it around the yard. Interiors are completely fitted out to the buyer's specs. Your van can be fitted out with seats etc to make it suitable for "taxi or limo" use.
The list is almost endless. An audit can be a wake-up call. Time to keep every reciept, set prices to cover all expenses, & hopefully show a profit. Haveing spent over 40 years in the transport business, I have some idea of how things operate.
Willie,diesel pilot-retired

No need to wonder why the guy flew his plane into the IRS building in Texas.

That's just what the country needed - the IRS involved in health care.

I'm not sure she is just doing her job when there is more than one way to interpret everything in the tax code. She could have taken the easy route at the beginning. It's like being stopped by the police for a tailite out or 5 mph above the limit, it's entirely up to the cop whether you get a ticket or a warning.

I am sorry you thought I was take'n up for the girl, these keyboards really need a "sarcasm font". I ain't got much time for the IRS or many other feds. This ain't the place to post it but I am a 4th generation gooberment distruster(goes back longer than that if you count the atrocitys commited durring the War of Northern Aggression). I was making the point that if the fair tax (a national sales tax) it would put people like this lady and every one at the IRS out of work, we would all be much happier, our nation would stop punishing success, and April 15 would just be another nice spring day.

Take care and sorry I came off as take'n up for the fed! (I would never do that!!!!!)

Dave

Hello indianared,
I had my return filled at the local IRS office.
The agent was very nice, and used all the deductions that would return the best results for me. What made me do a double take was one of the questions. I was asked if i wanted to by US savings bonds. Thats a new one on me.
Guido.