I.R.S. Hires Debt Collectors

The New York Times ^ | August 20, 2006 | DAVID CAY JOHNSTON

[callthemlikeyouseethem]

Within two weeks, the I.R.S. will turn over data on 12,500 taxpayers — each of whom owes $25,000 or less in back taxes — to three collection agencies. Larger debtors will continue to be pursued by I.R.S. officers.

[callthemlikeyouseethem]

hmmm...

[Screamname]

I never understood how debt collectors work...What happens, a company that is owed money hires these people to break legs or something?

[Concho]

Hopefully they tangle with citizens who will break their legs.

[kinoxi]

Income tax was a temporary measure to get through the civil war. I see many court cases in the future. The avenues for fraud and extortion that this opens up will be enormous.

[MCCRon58]

what it means is that the IRS has sold tax "debt" to the lowest form of scum at pennies on the dollar. Example, If you owe $1000, they will have the debt collector pay them $200-$400, but authorize them to collect the full $1000.

But it gets better, if Debt collector #1 cant collect the debt, they can sell it to a 2nd collector at even less,say ($50) and still be authorized to try to collect the full $1000. And this will go on until no one is finally willing to "buy" the debt from the last person holding the debt.

Of course, this being the "gov't". I see new federal regulations and changes in the Fair Debt Collection bureaucracy that will allow these blood suckers to bypass the present consumer protections that are now in place (such as they are)

[xrp]

DRAW DOWN on them.

[Mr_Moonlight]

I.R.S. Hires Debt Collectors

[Principled]

Going to go medieval on them!

[ErnBatavia]

I see many court cases in the future

Not - in tax court, you're guilty until proven innocent.

[Centurion2000]

disgusting .... how much you want to bet that these people will be able to harass you at work in defiance of normal protection laws?

[Mark was here]

Instead of writing the revenue off as noncollectable, why not throw it to the collection agency?

As far as the IRS collections being cheaper, I don't buy it, I'm sure they are not covering the cost of a government pension for their workers in their cost estimates.

[Calpernia]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1686573/posts?page=5#5

Sounds like mortgages

[Calpernia]

ping

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

. . . and then comes the telemarketers branch?

[Principled]

True- our income tax code puts the onus on the accused.

That needs to change. I'd be happy to eliminate the entire income tax code.

[stm]

Or Luca Brazzi, before he went to sleep wit da fishes.

[kinoxi]

The secondary debt market loves this if they can get a hold of it. Most debts have a set period of time in which they expire (typically 3-7 years) legally in varying states. This would be a federal debt that never expires. The depreciation from seller to seller would be much less than most other forms of debt. The collectors could theoretically chase you until your dead, and after that seize your estate. I don't like this.

[Zon]

True- our income tax code puts the onus on the accused.

That needs to change. I'd be happy to eliminate the entire income tax code.

I'll second that with the FairTax. FairTax FAQ

[theFIRMbss]

>I.R.S. Hires Debt Collectors

No, I really don't have the money on me, but yes, you can search me!

[DuxFan4ever]

Don't get behind in taxes and you have no worries. Kinda like don't drink and drive and you don't have to worry about sobriety checkpoints.