Original Message:
Re: Cut my price on timeshare...what else to sell it? (by Ken R.):
kekouri wrote:Ken I'm afraid of the IRS. I don't think they are intentionally after us, but if I don't make an appearance, maybe they will keep my files on the bottom of the pack.
Thank you for the thought. I have worked with the IRS for many years on several different issues (not just paying my own taxes) and have generally found them to be decent and helpful. I've found your comment to be true - they're not out to get us.
One good way to deal with them is to keep a low profile. Another is to make sure you get everything covered in IRS documentation before you do anything you consider different. You'd be amazed at how helpful many of the agents can actually be when they are hit with something "different". My experience is that they've seen it all before and often help a person with a work around by using regulations, rulings, publications, and common sense to get out of messes we often get into before we even know it. That's why I generally trust what they provide in either writing or verbally, as long as I can back it up with the documentation.
I've been to an audit once due to a wife's actions before we were married (about 1976). I've worked with them on changing status of businesses and individual filings. I've worked in the real estate market long before becoming a doctor and am still active in it and find them reasonable with things most investors never see or consider.
What I've found interesting is that several times I've had accountants (even CPAs) try to explain that something I was doing wouldn't fly, only to find out that the IRS actually has it set up to do what I needed. No one knows it all. If a person can't get a direct answer from the IRS, I've found that a good tax attorney is far better than a CPA in knowing what and how something should be done. It's their specialty - the law of taxes. That's why I try to provide information and tell people to read and research it on their own.
Good luck to you in your life.
Dr. Ken Rich