IRS

Professional Athletes With Tax Debt Problems

Debt blogger

Darryl Strawberry
Dodgers star, Darryl Strawberry first got in to trouble with the IRS in 1994 when he was put under investigation for tax fraud. The IRS tacked him with tax evasion, and he had to pay back $350,000 in back taxes, serve 3 years of probation, six years of home confinement, and complete 100 hours of community service.

2. Lawrence Taylor
Former Giants linebacker, Lawrence Taylor filed an incorrect federal income tax return back in 1990. Taylor pleaded guilty to the tax charges in 1997, and was punished with three months house arrest, five years probation and 500 hours of community service for income tax evasion.

3. Pete Rose
Baseball favorite, Pete Rose, also got in to some trouble with the government in 1990, when he filed a false income tax return. Despite his celebrity status, Rose was sentenced to five months in a correctional facility, three months in a community treatment center, 1,000 hours of community service and a $50,000 fine.

4. Helio Castroneves
The recent controversy around Indy 500 racer Helio Castroneves and his supposed $5 million tax debt has shed light on the tax problems sports stars can get in to. He is currently being tried for evading taxes on a licensing deal that he claims to never have received a dime from. Only time will tell whether the Indy 500 and dancing with the stars celebrity actually committed the tax crime.

5. Willie McCovey
Hall of Famer Willie McCovey, like many other athletes who ran in to tax trouble, did so by forgetting to claim cash made during autograph signing. While McCovey pleaded guilty to the crime, he also claimed to have committed it unknowingly, since he had a professional handle his accounting. He was sentenced to two years of probation and fined $5,000.

6. O.J. Simpson
Although infamous for more than his athletic abilities, O.J. Simpson upset the IRS enough to be put on the California tax shame list. His tax debt was over $1.5 million, and he stayed on the list for more than a year.

7. Jesse Owens
The late 1930s Olympic winner Jesse Owens got himself into trouble with the IRS. After the Olympics, Owens tried multiple business ventures in the United States to profit off his newly found fame. However, one of his ventures lost Owens a fortune and rendered him unable to pay his full tax liability. As a result, Owens was forced to declare bankruptcy.

8. Boris Becker
Famed tennis player and bad boy, Boris Becker, ran right in to tax trouble when it was discovered his apartment was not his priority residence, as previously claimed. As a result, he was given two years probation, fined $500,000, and ordered to pay expensive court fees.

Different Solutions for Tax Debt Relief Austin

Debt blogger

Often struggling business entities and professionals find themselves in a situation where due to losses in work, a medical expense that burrows heavily in their pocket or other reasons they face financial constraint and fail to pay their tax in time. Every year, there’s a fixed date deadline for filing return but many people owing to different problems don’t file their return not for one but for two, three or more years. A huge tax debt pile-up draws attention of government tax collectors like IRS who initiate action with notices for payment reminders and follow these with visits from IRS agents or collectors who can question the taxpayer or gather their bank and other financial records. Unless taxpayers take matters in hand with legal representation by tax debt relief Austin law firms, a perfectly resolvable tax case could be deemed serious enough for being taken to court as a criminal offense.

Approaching Solutions

There are many people who for instance owe certain amount in tax for 1-2 years and after the delay file return but don’t realize they are eligible for different tax deductions. The way out is to approach the part where filing the return is required carefully and with caution. Resolving tax debt can be attempted on own for a certain cap amount in the debt owed. However it’s better to hire tax professional who can evaluate the financial papers and tax history for deciding on solutions to emerge hassle-free from tax burden. Different debt plans are available and IRS offers different solutions in form of installment, waivers, extensions etc.

Debt Relief Strategies

The top strategy for dealing with pending tax which has collected to a considerable amount is initiating an agreement for installment where taxpayer pays some amount which he can afford and is approved by IRS every month for certain period. This repayment takes into account additional liabilities like the interest charged etc. Agreements like the one for partial payment allow repayment in long term at low rate. Offer-in-compromise is a program where tax is paid in lump sum but is vastly reduced to an amount agreeable to both the taxpayer and IRS. Not-currently collectible program is one where tax debt is not collected for minimum one year and more by IRS. When all solutions fail, filing bankruptcy helps save many assets from seizure or lien.

Hiring Attorney

In negotiating these solutions IRS approves only certain qualified professionals working in taxation sector, like certified public-accountants, tax attorneys and also enrolled agents. Taxpayers should check their credentials before hiring them for tax debt relief Austin services.

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How To Successfully Gain Credit Card Debt Forgiveness

Debt blogger

It is possible for you to gain credit card debt forgiveness in the present financial system. Debt forgiveness is a much more viable option to declaring bankruptcy. A lot of people with over $10000 in card debt have been able to get off up to 60% of their debts. If you are seeking debt relief, debt settlement and consolidation are the most popular options open to you. Read on to learn more on how you can get rid of credit card debt.

There is a proposed program in place in the financial industry that gives credit card companies the ability to write off debts for certain categories of customers. As the government grant the institutions relief, consumers should also benefit from debt forgiveness. You might qualify if you are enrolled with a debt management plan. Up to 40% of debts can be forgiven. Banks and the credit card companies don’t want pardon programs to be known to customers.

The credit card company can also wipe off what you owe if it falls under bad debt. Writing off bad credit card debt helps companies clear up their books. This makes them financially healthier. According the Nilson Report, financial institutions are expected to write off over 390 billion dollars over the next five years.

You can contact the company directly or through a debt settlement agent to negotiate a reduction in your debt. Negotiation can bring down your debt down by as much as 50% depending on your negotiation skills. When your debt is settled you are required by the IRS to report the write off amount as income on your tax forms.

Debt consolidation involves signing up with a company that negotiates your loans and consolidates them into one convenient monthly payment. It usually comes with less interest. Check the internet for a list of accredited DMPs.

These are the various options available for you to get rid of your credit card debt. However, when debt is written off your credit score could be reduced by as much as 60-130 points. This makes it a bit difficult for you to get credit at favorable interest in the next few years.

Check out the link below

Debt Information Center the internet’s No.1 center for free information on debt management and consolidation.

Dealing with Scam Artist Pretending To Be IRS Debt Collectors

Debt blogger

In 2004, the IRS was given the authority to use third party debt collectors to hunt down taxes owed by delinquent taxpayers. Scam artists knew an opportunity when they saw one.

Dealing with Scam Artist Pretending To Be IRS Debt Collectors

In an effort to track down delinquent taxpayers, the federal government gave the IRS the right to hire private debt collectors in 2004. You know, those annoying people that call during dinner. The reason for this change in policy actually made some sense. With as much information as the IRS is forced to deal with, it simply took forever for the IRS to start collection actions. By using the third parties, the IRS would be able to get the process moving without taking up employee time.

As you might imagine, the private tax debt collector program sounded like a good idea, but proved to be problematic. There were two primary problems. First, the legitimate debt collectors were threatening taxpayers. Second, scam artists started posing as debt collectors to collect money from nave tax collectors or perform identify theft on them. It is this second problem that we focus on here.

The central problem with the new debt collector program is how does a taxpayer know if they are dealing with a legitimate company or a scam artist trying to rip them off? Well, the IRS has instituted a new program in an effort to clarify matters. Here are the highlights:

1. If the IRS is going to use a private debt collector to come after you, the agency will first send you a letter indicating as much. The name of the company handling the debt collection will be included in the letter. If you do not receive this letter, ignore or report any parties claiming to be debt collectors to the IRS immediately. Play along and get their contact information so the IRS can hammer them.

2. When dealing with the debt collector, you will eventually reach a point where you write a check. The check should be written to the United States Treasury. If the debt collector instructs you to write it to any other name, they are scam artists and you should report them immediately. There is no exception to this rule. All payments are made to the United States Treasury, just like if you had actually paid your taxes on time!

Scam artists are very creative when it comes to thinking up schemes for ripping people off. Understand and stick to the following guidelines and you can foil them.

Richard A. Chapo is with BusinessTaxRecovery.com – providing information on taxes.