Democrats In US Senate Seek Halt To Private Tax Collectors

[Purveyor]

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- As the IRS prepared to use private debt collectors for the first time, three leading Senate Democrats on Wednesday urged the agency to halt the project.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and the top Democrat on a subcommittee overseeing the Internal Revenue Service's budget, cited multiple objections to the project.

"I'm deeply concerned that your plan would not adequately protect taxpayer privacy, would not ensure all taxpayers are treated fairly and respectfully, would not guarantee any cost savings to the U.S. Treasury," Murray said in a letter to IRS Commissioner Mark Everson.

Murray, along with separate letters from Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., all told Everson the Senate has yet to consider a ban on funding the private debt collection effort.

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http://tinyurl.com/rgypm

[derby378]

1. Well, DUH

Private tax collectors. Just what we fuckin' need.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

2. This Is Going To Hurt The Wealthy.....

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

HA HA! Made ya look.

[TexasLawyer]

17. Good one!!!

thought you were serious for a moment!

[snooper2]

29. Actually...

If I was running a private tax collection company, how am i paid? Do I get a flat rate ($500) for ever case resolved, or do I get a percentage of what the non-filer owed the government. If it's the latter, and I would want the latter if I'm running this company, wouldn't you go after people who owe more money?

[sweetheart]

3. They could outsource to pirates or vikings

and then they could land a ship and raid people's houses for booty for the IRS and
they can keep all the other spoils they can rape and pilliage. Outsourcing in
this respect could be a real boost to gangs and other shilocks to thug fer tha king.

[aquart]

19. Hey, it's an ancient tradition.

And it goes so well with kings.

[BreweryYardRat]

4. Great...

Like private debt collecters aren't sleazy enough. What happens when folks like that think the government will back them up?

[TomInTib]

5. Speaking selfishly..

I was kind of relieved when the IRS announced this program.

They released agents who go after the more aggregious cheaters and would assign these private 'debt collectors' to taxpayers who owe less than $25K.

Owing many times that, I figured I was facing pretty clear sailing.

That said, I think that this is an absolutely abhorrent scheme. This thing is loaded with peril.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

8. Why do you owe over a $100K to the IRS?

Just wondering.

[TomInTib]

10. Because I refuse to pay them what they decide that I should pay.

I have owed them huge amounts of money (as in seven figures) before.

I have screwed with them for decades and I have never spent one day in court.

The trick is not to piss them off too much, become friends with your case agent, and to eventually settle.

It is kind of a reverse Stockholm Syndrome.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

11. Must be nice.

I had a lien placed on me for under $200 due.

This conversation tells an interesting tale of two Americas.

[TomInTib]

12. It is stories like yours..

that make me homicidal.

A lien for $200?

That is so wrong in every fucking respect.

I have heard (from field agents) that they are indoctrinated to refer to middle-and-lower income earners as 'trash' and 'scum' and other crap like that in their training.
They make me sick.

But you can owe them a couple of million, stay non-confrontational with them, and they will come across all genial ("is it OK if I call you Tom?"), crap like that.

I believe their training doesn't equip them to deal with Money. As long as one can avoid the IRS atty's, everything is just like Christmas.

Damn, I hate to hear stories such as yours.

Hope everything is all right, now.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

16. Everything is fine. It was "only" 200 bucks after all.

The real issue is that someone who owes millions more than likely has many millions more to fight the matter, via a high paid attorney or through political influence. =not worth it.

While a schmo like me, who couldn't pay a measly two Bens, has no alternative. =fun and no repercussions.


This story is played out in courtrooms and backrooms every day.

Welcome to America.


:patriot:

[Nikki Stone 1]

6. This is another reason we need to win back the House

recommend

[Aristus]

7. Private tax collectors? Shades of Fat King George.

Wow, they really HAVE undone the revolution, haven't they?

[Hardrada]

9. Private tax collectors are in the Bible!

That's why the RW wants them back. And one was befriended by Jesus (but that's OK since it shows what social level they were on, down there with hookers and meandering former fishermen).

[toopers]

13. Just another reason for a consumption tax . . .

instead of an income tax!

[karynnj]

15. NO, a consumption tax is very regressive.

[toopers]

22. No, it is not.

It takes power away from the government and gives it to the people.

[Chemical Bill]

26. Isn't the libertarian website somewhere else? n/t

[toopers]

30. You tell me.

n/t

[IronLionZion]

24. It's very progressive

because rich people consume like pigs and try their best to avoid taxes by any means necessary.

It's directly proportional to how much anyone consumes so everyone pays a fair amount no matter who they are or how many lawyers they can afford. Someone always brings up the meme of little kids paying tax on chewing gum, but how much is that? And they will always bring up the meme that the fair tax is somehow republican or right wing even though the Republican party is aggressively against it.

It's strictly a grass roots movement with significant opposition from those who profit from tax evasion or the complicated bureacracy involved in income tax preparation and collection.

[toopers]

25. Also, when you think about privacy rights . . .

It gets government out of your personal life.

[IronLionZion]

32. Yup, it greatly simplifies things too

there would just be a small form to fill out for the annual prebate. All else is taken care of at point of sale.

What would be even better would be a VAT like they have in Europe. Then you don't even need to calculate the tax, it's already included in the price so there's no need to pretend that something is "secondhand" or "unfinished" in order to evade the sales tax.

The savings in administrative costs alone are expected to compensate for most of it so everyone who pays their fair share of income tax now would likely get a massive tax cut.

[Chemical Bill]

27. Sorry, I disagree. n/t

[toopers]

31. Why?

eom

[Recursion]

14. They call us the "Democrat" party? Call them the "Publican" party

The Romans used private tax collectors called "publicans" to collect their taxes. Essentially, the publican paid a fee to get a taxation license, and then he could collect whatever taxes he wanted to recoup the fee plus a profit.

That's what we're moving towards.

[Psephos]

20. Heh heh - good post. n/t

[ohtransplant]

18. Where the hell have they been...

for two years while this scheme came up for a vote several times - and passed!?

I also know people who work for collection agencies and their ethics and tactics leave something to be desired.

I'll bet the selected firms are squeaky clean. :sarcasm:

[Th1onein]

21. I used to work for collection agencies.

You can do good in any area you work in, if you choose to do good.

I don't like it that they get 25%. That's WAY too high a "fee."

But, there ARE some good things about this, if you know the law and how the collections game works. Like a "Get out of jail free" card," sort of.

[ohtransplant]

23. Sorry if I offended.

My comments were strictly about 1) practices I've been told about by people who work in collection agencies, and 2) my limited experience with lying, dishonest collectors years ago. I'm sure there are good people who work in this industry as well.

My view on the "get out of jail free" card is that I and most others pay our share. When others don't pay, our share increases.

Taxes may not be fair or equitable but the venue for that argument is the ballot box. Elections have consequences. Those who want their taxes lowered (and I'm among them)need to vote in larger numbers.

I feel better now...

[sandnsea]

28. Just like the student loan collectors

I say let the elites suffer the same kind of "costs and fees" that make it impossible to pay off a student loan. Let them make thousand dollar payments, and then have their account sold to another company with a new set of "costs and fees" tacked on, and maybe we'll get some fairness in government collections all the way around.

[judaspriestess]

33. here's the answer for you

"The private collection agencies are a priority for the Bush administration to close the nearly $300 billion tax gap, a measure of uncollected taxes."

you know the tax cut gap!! This is bullshit. We overpay in taxes to begin with!!

I just read one of the Isley brothers is not only going to prison for 3 years on tax evasion but he still has to pay 3 million dollars + interest when he gets out. Thats more time than most pedophiles get.

People "evade" taxes because we are fucking taxed to death to begin with and many don't have health care.


Hey my 600th post!! congrats to me!!