Isn't This Peachy?

According to Mary Dalrymple, an Associated Press Tax Writer, the IRS Warns Against Phony Debt Collectors:

"The IRS warned taxpayers Wednesday not to be duped by scammers posing as private debt collectors the agency has hired to chase unpaid tax debts....

"...The IRS plans to give the collection agencies basic identifying and account information about the chosen taxpayers, including their names, addresses and Social Security numbers...."

But not to worry, just because the IRS is incompetent at collecting tax receipts, which it is paid by the U.S. government to collect, doesn't mean that they are incompetent at hiring private collection agencies to collect it for them. AP writer Mary Dalrymple tells us they have taken the precaution of doing back ground checks on these collection agencies before they hand them your name, address and Social Security number.

So, when those collectors begin calling you from their homes with screaming babies in the background, don't fret, they've been vetted by the IRS before they called you to badger you about your debt and if you owe more than $25,000.00 or have contested that you owe the IRS any portion of the amount they claim you owe, you're off the hook altogether. The IRS is only referring people who owe less than $25,000.00 (by their figures) and haven't contested that they owe the amount the IRS claims they owe.

Of course by only turning over the names, addresses and Social Security numbers of those who owe less than $25,000.00 they only target citizens who, likely, cannot afford to hire a tax lawyer to represent them and therefore, have the least access to interpretation of the tax code and the least understanding about what their rights are and what they can and should use as deductions when filling out those VOLUNTARY tax returns. ;)

My suggestion to those who are under attack by, what some refer to as the domestic terrorist organization known as, the IRS is to call the Taxpayer Advocate Service. Mary Dalrymple provides these links:

Internal Revenue Service: http://www.irs.gov

Taxpayer Advocate Service: http://www.irs.gov/advocate/index.html

NTEU IRS Watch: http://www.nteuirswatch.org/

The AP reports that:

"...Identity thieves have posed as IRS agents in "phishing" schemes that use the tax agency's logo to lure victims. The e-mail schemes are designed to dupe taxpayers into revealing personal financial information."

Support the Fair Tax Act. Go to Americans for Fair Tax to find out how you can make a difference. Join your State's FairTax Yahoo Group! Join today!

Update: Click on this link and take action: National Treasury Employees Union -- The IRS Proposes to use Private Sector Debt Collectors to Collect Tax Debt I changed the last paragraph on my email to my Senators and Representative to read:

Support H.R. 1621, the Taxpayer Protection Act of 2005 and work to ensure that the IRS is not allowed to give out private citizens personal information to collection agencies. Then do the right thing and co-sponsor the FairTax Act of 2005, HR 25/S 25.