IRS Threatening Legal Action Against Detroit Lawyer over 5-cent IRS Bill

Published:

Updated:

The Associated Press

Sat, Jan. 03, 2009 08:07 AM

James Howarth is a little confused by two letters he has received from the Internal Revenue Service.

The Detroit defense lawyer received one letter in November that said he owed the IRS money - five cents.

He was warned that he should pay "to avoid additional penalty and/or interest," the Detroit Free Press reported Saturday.

Howarth says he then received a second letter telling him the government owes him money - four cents.

He was told he would have to request the refund since it's less than $1.

"When I owe them a nickel, I must pay them. It's not optional," he said. "But when they owe me, I have to ask for it."

Howarth says he's not sure if there is a connection between the two notices, or if the refund represents a recalculation of the original bill.

The perplexed lawyer says he called an IRS 800 telephone number but gave up after spending a long time on hold.

IRS spokesman Luis D. Garcia says the agency doesn't comment on individual accounts.

Information from: Detroit Free Press, http://www.freep.com

Entry #48

Comments

Avatar justxploring -
#1
What a waste of taxpayers' dollars.   This remind me of the "Dear Taxpayer" letters they sent to people to inform them about the stimulus plan.   I also remember receiving a letter about my check a few days before the actual check arrived. It was to let me know I should be expecting a check.    Estimated cost of the letters - $42 million.

I know it's hard to believe, but the people at the IRS have actually gotten a lot nicer over the years. :-)

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