IRS goes after small business owner for 4 cents in backtaxes

[bjl584]

Bob Shallit: IRS visits Sacramento carwash in pursuit of 4 cents - Sacramento Business, Housing Market News | Sacramento Bee

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

If I were the car-wash owner, I would've pointed them over to the vacuum station. Pennies are always over there. "Help yourself, friends. Take it off my tab."

[creditcardfree]

Originally Posted by Joan.of.the.Arch

If I were the car-wash owner, I would've pointed them over to the vacuum station. Pennies are always over there. "Help yourself, friends. Take it off my tab."

Great idea, Joan!

[kork13]

I think I'd be forced into a more flippant response.... How much does one of those giant checks cost to get printed? I think I'd probably get one done up for the 4 cents, call a press conference, and present it to the local IRS office with a smile on my face. Sure, behind the scenes I'd give them a legit check for whatever I owed (if in fact it was truly owed... I'd call in a favor from a CPA friend first), but I would without a thought make the IRS look stupid for that kind of lunacy. Sending a pair of angry suits to the place of business just to hand-deliver a letter? I mean, come on...

[creditcardfree]

I wonder if that was a scam. Two guys pull up and say they are from the IRS, but are they? I'd really wonder because four cents doesn't even seem like a legal debt, aren't all taxes rounded to the nearest dollar?

[MonkeyMama]

The penalties and interest clearly weren't on the "4 cents." Usually these kind of stories leave out most of the story.

Usually the IRS just garnishes your wages or takes it from your bank account. I am skeptical they would drive up to hand deliver a notice.

I was going to say "Don't believe everything your read," because I thought it would be some random link. It's my local newspaper - but doesn't mean 100% true.

[MonkeyMama]

P.S. The IRS does a lot of STUPID things, but they don't collect pennies. They have enough sense not to do that!

[YISave]

Our deficit is pushing them to do crazy things. Ha Ha!

[cicy33]

Technically they aren't just collecting pennies here. there are penalties and interest that is amounting to about 200 now. still a small amount, but then again, have you noticed that the government is broke!

[bjl584]

Originally Posted by cicy33

Technically they aren't just collecting pennies here. there are penalties and interest that is amounting to about 200 now. still a small amount, but then again, have you noticed that the government is broke!

It most likely cost the IRS more in salaries and paperwork to send those agents to that carwash than they recovered in back taxes and penalties.

[GrimJack]

I am going to go with "sounds like BS to me"; there was nothing to the story but someone telling a story to someone. It would not happen in the way stated but it is silly season. The followup made a little bit of sense but...

[Homebody]

I have a 5 gallon bucket of pennies we need to roll that DH has collected from our car wash over the last 20 years!

[MonkeyMama]

I have an IRS notice in front of me, today, from a client, that says 5 cents taxes owed, $3500 penalties. The penalty is from a $35k tax payment being made over a month late (10%). They just happen to still owe 5 cents in taxes. (Sounds like a pretty similar notice to the above!)(

I read newspaper articles all the time about some tax "Scandal" where clearly no one understands anything they are talking about.

Of course, my client will pay the bill so they won't have their wages garnished, bank account siezed, or IRS agents showing up at their door.

[MonkeyMama]

Originally Posted by cicy33

Technically they aren't just collecting pennies here. there are penalties and interest that is amounting to about 200 now. still a small amount, but then again, have you noticed that the government is broke!

Agreed. But if there were no penalties, they wouldn't be collecting the 4 cents. That was my point.