The Law Office of Irina N. Goldberg has a great post on
dealing with IRS Revenue Officers (“RO’s”) when the IRS is attempting to
collect unpaid taxes. RO’s are basically collection agents, and they have broad
powers to ensure compliance, including being able to garnish wages and bank
accounts, seize accounts receivable, and seize property. Generally when dealing
with an RO, the taxpayer is best served by being cooperative and responsive.
When dealing with an RO, a taxpayer should be
communicative and prompt. Ms. Goldberg recommends that taxpayers 1.) obtain a “snapshot’
of their IRS account, 2.) keep in contact with the RO, 3.) give the RO all
necessary financial information, 4.) contact a tax attorney if the RO’s
requests seem unreasonable, and 5.) bring up possible reasons for tax delinquency
with the RO. Overall, being up-front and reasonable seems to be the best
strategy to brining the matter to a successful conclusion.