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No Stimulus Check For You!"We can't find where we put your money, so we can't give you your stimulus check." |
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CFSNAP.com: > Blog: > No Stimulus Check For You!
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In Summary: The IRS Should Not Be In Charge of Collecting Taxes Because They Suck At It· "...you missed an estimated tax payment last year so we're keeping your stimulus check."· "No I didn't. And here is the cancelled check that you cashed to prove it." · "...well look at that, you did pay us! Now if we can just find where we put your money...." · View Comments · Post Comments Posted by Rich Leach on 11/15/2008 @ 12:01PM. Categories: I.T. Consulting Business
Posted March 17, 2008 on www.irs.gov
IRS Announces Economic Stimulus Payment Schedules, Provides Online Payment CalculatorStimulus Checks Were Supposed to Stimulate, Not IrritateGeorge Bush's smug mug shows up on the news channel again and this time he's singing his own praises about how he got a tax stimulus rebate check program passed. Then he spent about $28 million bucks sending out letters to inform us that we'd be getting a tax stimulus rebate check in the mail (a great use of $28 million bucks). With my social security number I should expect my payment around the middle of June 2008, at the latest. I'm an I.T. consultant and run my own business, which means I have to pay my own taxes. I make quarterly estimated tax payments to the feds which means 4 times a year I write a check for what I earned that quarter, thereby being a responsible citizen, an honest business owner and I get to stay out of jail for failing to pay taxes (my clients really like that). Pretty simple, it's a good gig and up until this year everyone was happy. The feds got their money (on time), and if I calculated too high or too low on my deductions when I filed my tax returns for the year in April I either paid the difference or sent a request for my refund. Since I write a check for these estimated quarterly payments, I'm extremely careful to write the check correctly and legibly, walk it into the post office, make them postmark the envelope in front of me and watch it go into the big mail bucket. Then (and this is where the internet got really cool, who thought it would ever be more than illegal music downloads and naughty pictures?) I track exactly the date that the IRS actually cashes the check on my bank's website. Rinse and repeat 4 times a year. IRS Error Remember that $28 million dollar letter I mentioned earlier? I actually put it on my fridge with my smiley-face magnet. But June came and went, and I was starting to wonder where my stimulating stimulus check was. Then on July 1, 2008 I got a letter from the IRS, and I thought, "Great! Here it is! Daddy needs a new Mac!" Sadly, no check. Instead, it was another letter saying that I should receive my stimulating stimulus check no later than July 5, 2008. Yes, that's right, the IRS sent me a letter on July 1 telling me to expect my check no later than July 5. By this point I thought 'Dubbya was just foolin' with me, so I thought nothing of it - after all, he is quite the prankster. My plan was to simply coast into the July 4th weekend and plan on stuffing the mattress with my stimulating stimulus monies shortly thereafter. ... So guess what shows up in my mailbox on July 3, 2008??? YES! NO! A sternly worded, but kinder, gentler letter from the IRS saying that I never paid my September 07 quarterly estimated tax payment and that I owe them $3176.08 in payments, penalties and interest. After all of those letters that my stimulating stimulus check was on the way, in the mail and imminently awaiting to be stuffed into my mattress, they sent me a "Dear Rich" letter. Begin the phone calls and frustration of communicating with the IRS. Out of complete fairness, I have to say that the IRS reps were always polite but in the dark, always considerate but never knowing. I had to repeat every single detail of my case to every single IRS representative I spoke with on each new phone call. I'm only a humbled web jockey, but I'm pretty sure you can store those kinds of details in a database, type it up in a Word doc, draw it on the cave wall in crayon.... I Have Proof It Was The IRS's Error Here's what it took to resolve the IRS's mistake. In summary:
The IRS's final answer (I'm pretty sure they had to call a friend....): "We don't know where we put your money, and until we find out where it is we can not issue you either your stimulus payment nor your refund". It didn't matter that we both knew they had received my payment (I put the cancelled check on the fridge with the $28 million dollar letter but by now the smiley face was frowning and flashing me half a peace sign). They couldn't determine which pocket they put my money into and consequently kept putting me off 30 days at a time until I finally declared that the baboons and I were going to show up at their offices and straighten this mess out once and for all. "Taxpayer Advocate Service" Turns out the IRS has a "Taxpayer Advocate Service". Their slogan is "Your voice at the IRS". Yes, while you're reading this you should be making the quote mark gestures with your fingers in the air. They're supposed to be someone personally appointed to your case to help you resolve such un-resolvable issues like my missing stimulating stimulus check and tax refund. I'll give you 3 guesses what their response to my case was, and the first 2 guesses don't count: You guessed it! "We need another 30 days to investigate this". In the time span between first learning about 'Dubbya's grand tax-rebate-stimulus-check plan and when I was talked to by the "Taxpayer Advocate Service" representative, we'd gone from having snow on the ground, snow melted, drought-induced forest fires, gas shot up to $4/gallon and back down to $2/gallon, an embarrassing election season, an even worse financial meltdown, snow back on the ground, and to top it all off, those damn baboons have since moved into my place and drank all the beer out of my fridge and one of those sneaky little scamps stole my smiley face magnet. I'm happy to report that on November 5, 2008 I finally received my stimulating stimulus check and tax refund. The day after Election Day. How ironic, because as far as I was concerned this was the final nail in the Republican coffin, as the pro-business, go get em' and turn a profit GOP had in fact done little to nothing to help my business grow, and sat idle while the nation sank into quite possibly the deepest recession since the 1930's. And whether he chooses to believe it or not, there are just too many striking similarities between the red-assed baboon and the guy who has been living in the White House for the last 8 years. Evolution, or lack thereof? You decide. I have to go and pay down my gas credit cards with that stimulating stimulus check I just got. Comments: 7 | Post Comment |
COMMENTS You should send them a bill for the interest you could have been earning on that money over the last 6 months :) Posted by Alisa Osemwengie on 12/03/2008 at 11:46:AM I never recieved my stimulus check for last year? i think i made around 3,000 that year cause i didnt really work b.c i was pregnant the whole time.... i am just curious if there is any way to contact any one to just make sure... Posted by mary ferino on 01/13/2009 at 10:40:PM Mary- I'm certainly no tax professional but I suggest you either contact the IRS directly or your personal accountant. The last thing you want to do is leave your money on the IRS's table! Rich Posted by Rich Leach on 01/14/2009 at 12:16:PM I never got mine either, and I just don't have the time or patience to sit on the phone with those clowns. Pathetic!!! Posted by John Silvian on 01/25/2009 at 6:22:PM I still have not received my stimulus check from 2008, called and gave them my correct address and they said I would receive my check in about 3 weeks. That's been 3 months ago. Still no check and I don't know what I should do next. I really need my money. Posted by Tom Mitcham on 01/27/2009 at 8:45:PM Tom- You have to stay on top of them or you'll never get your money! Go through the pain and call them, explain that you've continually been put off and insist that a Taxpayer Advocate get involved with your case. A friend of mine just recently told me that he found a local IRS office, it may actually help to show up in person. Don't be rude or unprofessional, and definitely keep your cool. Those people are overloaded and simply don't care, so this is probably a time when you'll get more flies with honey than with vinegar, or however that saying goes.... Good luck! Posted by Rich Leach on 01/27/2009 at 11:03:PM I have learned first hand from an IRS employee that a LOT of those stimulus checks never made it to the people because of student loans or owing back taxes. He stated its a secret , but the IRS is partially responsible for the economy not jumpstarting as it should since they dipped their hands into the pot of some people who owed and really needed those checks to get a little bit a float. As far as I am concerned the IRS was concieved with the purpose keeping control of the citizens thru overtaxation and unfair bussines practices. If bussines owner adopted the practices of the IRS they would all be in jail. Posted by Cisco Pagan on 02/16/2009 at 12:36:PM |
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