TaxMasters files for bankruptcy

[Rob Williams]

I was never familiar with this company aside from seeing their commercials all the time on CNN, I believe it was. Turns out to be a very scammy company.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/03/19/news/companies/taxmasters-bankruptcy/index.htm

 

[Brett Thomas]

Oh, gosh darn.

I hate companies like this...even the not-fake ones.

 

[OriginalJoeCool]

There's a company that will provide fake references for you: http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/worklife/02/15/cb.fake.job.reference.help/index.html. Scams are a dime a billion.

 

[Psi*]

For those that file with the IRS, it is not really that big of a deal to actually work directly with the IRS. I, self employed, nearly had my own coffee cup & a 1st name basis with them. For a while I think they almost recognized my voice when I called .... glad those days are over. I think.

Even *they* discourage working with the 3rd party offerings because of the scam potential. The exceptions for paying less tax that an audit or just being behind are not that difficult to find out about and they will tell you when asked ... but you must ask as they will not usually offer. AND they don't offer because THAT is usually in some other division. This is the government after all.

 

[Brett Thomas]

For those that file with the IRS, it is not really that big of a deal to actually work directly with the IRS. I, self employed, nearly had my own coffee cup & a 1st name basis with them. For a while I think they almost recognized my voice when I called .... glad those days are over. I think.

Even *they* discourage working with the 3rd party offerings because of the scam potential. The exceptions for paying less tax that an audit or just being behind are not that difficult to find out about and they will tell you when asked ... but you must ask as they will not usually offer. AND they don't offer because THAT is usually in some other division. This is the government after all.

It can get a lot more complex than that, but dealing with the IRS is a big part of my job as a public tax accountant and I can say that I find them quite reasonable MOST of the time. You should (particularly in small biz) always have professional representation - the tax code is very deep and I can assure you that most of the minions on the phone don't know a thing about it...but never, EVER a lawyer. ;-) Reputable accountants (CPA and EA) in the US are around everywhere and there are no points where I have ever witnessed a lawyer make things better!

And ANYTHING like this - the "get something for nothing" or "pay less than you owe!" should be disregarded as junk - even claiming that as an advertisement in any form could get my license yanked...so you know when you see it you're dealing with someone that isn't licensed in accountancy or tax!