Congress was getting bombarded with people saying that the IRS was treating them terribly, so they did something about it.
Even though the IRS still has a bad reputation with a lot of people, it is still considerably much easier to deal with than it was just a few years ago. The IRS was actually forced to become easier to deal with through legislation. In the book, Personal Bankruptcy For Dummies, it talks about why and how the legislation was put in place.
The book said:
“A few years ago, Congress conducted a bunch of hearings and got an earful from constituents who felt like the IRS was treating them like axe murderers. Those hearings resulted in legislation imposing a wide range of restrictions on the collection efforts of the IRS. So now, after years of nurturing its reputation as a bulldog, the Internal Revenue Service is trying to embrace something of a teddy-bear image. It really has become far more accommodating, if not cuddly. The kinder, gentler IRS is considerably less arrogant and appreciably more humble than it once was. And with all the new procedures, IRS collection efforts have become so burdensome that authorities are more willing to settle than ever before.”
This is good news if you are struggling financially and have any tax debt Tax problems were once significantly harder to deal with than what they are today and mainly because the IRS has tried to clean up their image. Having said that, if you are having tax related debt problems you need to take the time to talk to a professional about your situation. Yes, you can try to go at them on your own, but many people try that route and end up hurting themselves more than they need to.
A bankruptcy attorney is a great person to have on your side when dealing with your tax debts. A good attorney will look at your situation objectively and will let you know if bankruptcy is a good solution for you or not. Perhaps you can comfortably take care of your tax debts without much trouble, but you need to have a professional on your side if for nothing else to tell you what all of your options are. If your debts are too much to handle, you can have some of them wiped out or restructured.
Of course, like with many things bankruptcy related, tax debts are complicated. There are always exceptions to exceptions, so it is nearly impossible for someone to know everything they need to know, unless they deal with these situations on a daily basis. If you would like to find out more about what is best for you, contact a bankruptcy attorney.