Jump to content
ATX Community

No surprise, somehow


Catherine

Recommended Posts

I am shocked, *shocked*, to find gambling on the premises.  Oh, wait, my winnings...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2017/06/26/irs-private-debt-collectors-accused-of-pressuring-taxpayers-breaking-the-law/#428eb5252aeb

For those who don't like to click links, here is the first paragraph-and-a-bit from Forbes:

A new law which went into effect this year directs the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to hand over some unpaid tax bills to private agencies for collections. The law was pushed through despite the failures of past privatization efforts and despite concerns about what privatization efforts might mean for taxpayers (including those recently expressed by Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George and National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson).

It appears those concerns were not unfounded. 

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can vouch for Pioneer's ineptness.  They were put in charge of PA's amnesty program that ended June 19th.  I understand that a lot of the issues with the program stemmed from the State's own utterly ridiculous ineptness.  But Pioneer did not help the cause.  PA and Pioneer together sent out 100,000 notices to delinquent taxpayers.  Some of those delinquencies went back into the 1990s.  Some of those notices were to my clients for whom my office has been filing and confirming reporting and payments for a great long time.  The State, somewhere in the interim, changed over to a new system and did not bring over the history with them.  So many, many of those notices were in error.  But for that far back, can I expect my client to keep those records and cancelled checks to prove to the State that there is no delinquency?  Why do I implicate Pioneer in this mess?  Pioneer was the muscle behind trying to collect this stuff - and often times in a less than friendly manner - and Pioneer had no interest in being logical nor interested in coming to a reason solution to the problem.  I have a notice still on my desk for 18 periods of non-filed quarterly sales tax reports dating back to October 2006.  I can not do anything with it because every time I pick it up, I can not see it through the anger I am feeling.  This client passed away in early 2006; we filed all of the paperwork to close the business and we cancelled the sales tax license and confirmed that cancelling within just a couple months of his passing.  We, and the client's widow, have not heard one word about unfiled reports until the widow received this notice from Pioneer dated 04/28/17.

Pioneer collecting for the IRS?  This ought to be fun.....................................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What does anyone think can be gained by hiring thug-like agencies to collect for the IRS?  Does anyone believe that the IRS is too kind and gentle to engage in collection activities?

If an all-powerful government agency like the Treasury Department, with all the power of the Almighty, cannot collect, then what makes anyone think a private collection company can collect?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...