Member-only story
In the movie Meet Joe Black, the Devil is reminded that death and taxes are the only two inevitabilities. But why is insanity attached to them, especially the latter, and especially in the US? I have been butting heads with the IRS for 385 days for money that they erroneously confiscated — the technical word is “garnished” — from my Social Security payment last October. Not the first time this error has happened, but the first time it was not rectified within a few months.
After three months of writing and no replies, calling and no answers, I turned to the IRS Tax Advocacy Service. These folks are unsung heroes, independent of the IRS but with institutional clout that I, a mere mortal, could not aspire to. My case was assigned to a woman who seemed diligent. But her office was closed because of Covid, so for several months I couldn’t reach her by phone. I would leave a message and eventually, maybe, she would call me back. Sometimes I wasn’t available so she would leave a message and the telephone tag would start all over again.
After two months, we connected. I explained the problem and sent her the proof of my claim; she agreed that the Tax Advocacy Service could help, and got to work. I requested back-up for the IRS claim that I owed money; by the time she contacted the relevant office to send it to me and they sent it and I…
