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Bloviating Zeppelin: Four Cents For The IRS:

Bloviating Zeppelin

(in-ep-toc'-ra-cy) - a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Four Cents For The IRS:

It's no secret that I live quite some distance from where I work in the capital of Fornicalia: Sacratomato. Here might be one of the reasons why:

In Sacratomato, the local IRS office has decided that it's appropriate, prudent and fiscally wise to drop in upon a local business that, they revealed, owed four cents.

That's correct: FOUR CENTS.

Since 2006. The interest accrued (which no one can figure out or explain) since then now adds up to $202.31. Which means that the business, Harv's Car Wash, "owes" the IRS an actual $202.35.

If you're in the area, I'd love for you to drop by and have your car washed at Harv's. If for no other reason than to slightly improve his business patterns. Because of his having been leaned upon by the IRS.

Harv's Car Wash has a website here. Check it out and note its location.

And isn't it odd:

Now he's trying to figure out how penalties and interest could climb so high on such a small debt. He says he's never been told he owes any taxes or that he's ever incurred any late-payment penalties in the four years he's owned Harv's.

In fact, he provided us with an Oct. 22, 2009, letter from the IRS that states Harv's "has filed all required returns and addressed any balances due."

IRS spokesman Jesse Weller isn't commenting "due to privacy and disclosure laws."

Which translates to: we've been, once again, exposed as the frauds, incompetents and wasters of taxpayers' money that we are.

In Sacratomato, the IRS office is here, at 4330 Watt Avenue. It looks like this:


Per MapQuest.com, traveling from the IRS office on Watt Avenue to Harv's downtown business would require 14 minutes in average traffic conditions. The distance on the recommended MapQuest route is 9.29 miles. MapQuest's estimated fuel cost is $1.91.

I would guess this is quite low. Local Sacratomato gas prices are now roughly $3.05 per gallon. IRS agents would travel in fleet-purchased Ford Crown Victoria cars. Crown Vics, on good days, get anywhere from 13 to 15 mpg. I know. I drive them. You can do the math.

Now, factor in not only the cost of driving a car, but the US pay grades for IRS US Treasury agents, who are law enforcement officers. I acquired my pay scale from this chart.

Let's assume that these are not brand new agents. New agents are not sent, anywhere in the federal system, to Sacratomato. They must first spend time in large first assignment cities. Agents are not able to acquire their OP (office of preference) for some time. On that basis, one can assume that these are likely GS 11 agents at or near top step pay. A GS 11 agent at top step, in the Sacratomato area, makes a base rate of $38.28.

This one visit, for a potential collection stemming from a "delinquent tax" of 4-cents, cost $76 plus $2.00 for gas. Plus the time it took -- not quite calculable -- for other federal employees to locate the business, locate the returned tax forms, match them, make a determination of 4-cents owed, pass this paperwork up through the chain to the collections division, have this paperwork pass over a supervisor's desk, examine said paperwork, make a decision, then pass said paperwork back down to the appropriate desk, file the paperwork, place it into an action manifest for a physical trip to the business, locate and reserve a vehicle for said trip, identify two agents to be assigned the case, work up the case, confirm the debt, make the trip, make the contact, then make the trip back.

Overall, I'd wager this costed taxpayers roughly $1,000. And I'll bet I'm conservative in this figure. In order to collect on an original debt of four-cents.

This is sheer insanity. But it's how your federal government rolls.

You happy about this, America?

BZ

14 Comments:

Blogger Greybeard said...

But...
It kept those two agents employed, didn't it! TWO JOBS SAVED!

Mon Mar 15, 08:01:00 AM PDT  
Blogger mrchuck said...

You hit the nail on the head!

I know, as I am a former Federal LEO, different agency.

I will be surprised if the IRS decides to forget this, unless the press makes it a "hot potato".

Mon Mar 15, 08:30:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Chris said...

Hope and "change"

Mon Mar 15, 08:36:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Z said...

unreal, isn't it?

Hope and CHANGE....emphasis on change...they're still nickeling and diming us to death! WHO KNEW? I've often said lately that the gov't's hundred dollaring us to death now!

BZ, do you have another blog? :-)

Mon Mar 15, 09:28:00 AM PDT  
Blogger TexasFred said...

Apparently cents, not sense, is what now drives the IRS and the Obama administration...

Mon Mar 15, 11:08:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Well Seasoned Fool said...

Much easier for them to pad their stats with a small business owner than go after hard core tax cheats.

Mon Mar 15, 01:41:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

Ladies and gentlemen, and THIS is the same federal government that you don't just want to PAY for your healthcare, but you want to make cogent, good decisions regards YOUR personal health?

BZ

Mon Mar 15, 01:50:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Tim said...

Seems utterly ridiculous to bother this poor man anymore.

Mon Mar 15, 04:06:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

But this isn't an isolated incident, Tim. This is only what you happen to HEAR or READ and, trust me, all is being done to ensure you do NOT hear or read about these things. This is a COMPLETE lack of common sense because, as anyone who's worked with the federal system (as I have) knows, agents don't make a MOVE unless it's been blessed by their SSA, the AUSA and all points in between.

BZ

Mon Mar 15, 05:29:00 PM PDT  
Blogger TexasFred said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

Mon Mar 15, 06:59:00 PM PDT  
Blogger TexasFred said...

Well, I guess Tim and I can agree on something!

Mon Mar 15, 07:01:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

TF & Tim: wonder of wonders!

BZ

Mon Mar 15, 09:05:00 PM PDT  
Blogger A Jacksonian said...

Lovely having a separate tax court system and the IRS having its own enforcers, no? And its damn hard to win a tax case in tax court because that strange presumption of innocence just isn't present in deed... in word, yes, but not in how it acts.

And just how many tax cases have ever even gotten an appeal granted via the federal courts or the SCOTUS, which is allowed to review such things? If we must have an IRS, then don't allow it to make its own judicial system but force it to one where there is scrutiny and transparency in its actions. That is not the case with tax courts.

Tue Mar 16, 11:51:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

AJ: you are ABSOLUTELY correct!

BZ

Tue Mar 16, 08:20:00 PM PDT  

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