Today I took part in a brief interview. A lot of these questions are frequently asked by readers of my blog, so I'm sharing it here.
Q: How long did you work for the IRS?
I worked for the Internal Revenue Service for seven years as a Revenue Officer.
Q: What does your job entail now?
I've been working to help taxpayers resolve their tax debt since '99. I review taxpayer's cases or debt details and provide detailed solutions for tax debt problems. I use my insider knowledge to provide training for tax professionals, I give speeches and teach tax resolution classes, and
all the reality show business too.
Q: What did your father do for the IRS?
He's a retired Assistant District IRS Director for the State of Oklahoma, meaning he was 2nd on the totem pole for all of the state. Yes, we still talk "IRS" when I visit home. Runs in the family.
Q: What exactly triggered leaving the IRS?
Lots of things, but the defining moment was a seizure we did for a corporation who hired a crooked CPA. They basically pocketed the taxes and left, and the business owners had no idea. We had to take everything they owned, all of their business assets. There were other options, realistically. But it wasn't our job to consider them.
It's a tough story to tell. The business owners were the nicest people you could meet, they even served us cookies and tea while we placed seizure stickers on everything they owned. The aging business owner told me we were “kinder to her than those she had paid to take care of her own business.”
“Why doesn’t the IRS care,” she asked, with tears streaming down her face. That was the turning point for me.
Q: When and where do you film your Reality TV Show?
Right now we're shooting in Jacksonville Florida. We usually start after my work day, around 6PM and shooting can go on until 10:30PM or later. It's grueling work, but helping the American taxpayer is worth it.
Q: What's the best advice you have for taxpayer's that owe the IRS?
1) Seek a professional consultation before you have a conversation with the IRS
2) Do NOT make rash financial decisions like liquidating your assets until you have a conversation with a tax resolution professional of some kind.
3) Be proactive with the IRS, DO NOT wait for them to come to you when you owe. Go to them, solve your problem now before it gets worse.
Basically, you need to have a plan before you react to the IRS. A good plan is the only way to achieve your goal of removing tax debt.