Michael Raanan, EA
Santa Ana, CA
Male, 35
My tenure with the largest and most powerful collection agency in the world, the IRS, began fresh out of college and with much surprise. Following an extensive interview process and a cross-country flight to the West Coast, I found myself in Los Angeles with the unenviable task of getting delinquent taxpayers back into tax compliance. After approximately 8 years of service, I left, and now find myself (very literally) on the other side of the table helping taxpayers resolve their IRS disputes.
In short, I'd always wanted to work for myself since I was young. This aspiration was further enhanced by my experience in two business schools which cemented my decision to depart from the IRS and subsequently open my own tax firm.
For me, one of the best parts about working at the IRS was helping taxpayers resolve their tax matter. While at the IRS, it was my responsibility to listen to each taxpayer, assess their tax situation based on the facts of the case, and work with them to resolve their case. I spent a lot of time educating taxpayers on their tax responsibilities and helping them understand how they got themselves into the mess they were in, so that it wouldn't happen again. Indeed, I was helping taxpayers while at the IRS, though understandably, it was difficult for some taxpayers to see it that way at the time. Now, I am in a fortunate position to continue helping taxpayers by working as their advocate and making their lives a little easier.
Compensation aside, a career with the IRS can be very rewarding depending on a person's interests and expectations. The positions at the IRS are as diverse as the employees that work there. A few of the lesser known positions are: Economist, Biologist, Forensic Examiner, Chemist, Engineer, Appraiser, Programmer, Media Specialist...
Related:
1) IRS Careers Website (they even have internships): http://jobs.irs.gov/home.html
2) 2013 General Schedule Pay Tables: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2013/general-schedule/
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As a Revenue Officer (RO), my duties were to investigate the nature of a taxpayer's delinquency and collect any balances or unfiled tax returns that were due. ROs are unique among other IRS personnel as they are the last line of collection for the United States, and because of that, they also have more authority and autonomy. With their personal inventory of Collection cases, ROs work directly with the delinquent taxpayer (an individual or business) or with the taxpayer's authorized representative. After working close to 1,000 cases during my tenure, I certainly had my fair share of difficult taxpayers and representatives.
Although IRS personnel are required to treat every taxpayer with respect and professionalism, irrespective of a taxpayer's behavior, a quicker closure of a case is naturally facilitated when the IRS and taxpayer work in tandem towards a resolution. Cooperating with the IRS and disagreeing with the IRS don't have to be mutually exclusive. This idiom comes to mind, "You can catch more flies/bees with honey than vinegar."
Related reading:
1) IRS Publication 1 Taxpayer Rights (see Paragraph III): http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1.pdf
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From time to time I did come across the occasional "tax resistor" (formerly referred to as "tax protestors"). Most of these individuals would employ very similar techniques in an attempt to impede Collection activity and delay progress of the case, such as mailing and faxing an inordinate amount of correspondence to the IRS littered with fictitious claims, legal citations and allegations.
As with all IRS cases, each of the tax resistors had their own unique characteristics. In one such case, I was assigned to a holistic practitioner with a business and radio show who would send between 4- 6 letters a week titled "Non-negotiable Notice of Acceptance" containing various indecipherable verbiage and instructing the IRS to, among other things, close his account. Each of those Notices would be followed up the next week with a fully notarized "Notice of Dishonor". Each Notice contained a list of about 10 CC'd recipients, including judges, attorneys and lenders that were part of an unrelated lawsuit. In addition to the correspondence addressed directly to me, the taxpayer was kind of enough to send me courtesy copies of the Notices he sent to the other 10 individuals. After the case was prepared for closure, all 150+ Notices were happily sent along to the Closed Case Files department.
Related reading:
1) Common frivolous tax resistor arguments: http://evans-legal.com/dan/tpfaq.html
2) Profiles of known tax resistors: http://tpgurus.wikidot.com/
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