Thinking of Representing Yourself in Tax Court?

When you’re dealing with the IRS, you’re in store for a wild ride. Representing yourself in tax court when dealing with the IRS in its efforts to collect your back tax debt is an idea that deserves many second thoughts.

The Cons of Representing Yourself in Tax Court

The IRS loves dealing with unrepresented taxpayers and businesspeople in collection cases. Their knowledge of complicated IRS legal and collection procedures will overcome any good argument you think you have. This happens because a lot of people try and represent themselves in tax litigation because they don’t want to spend the money, or they think that it’s not that difficult.  But litigating with the IRS over back tax debt is always more difficult than you think. If you or your business is under the IRS’s crosshairs, hiring a tax attorney is the best decision you can make. Here’s a few reasons.

The U.S. tax code and relevant court cases are complicated

The tax code is massive at more than 70,000 pages long. Lawmakers who wrote and update it seem to think everyone has a law degree. But the fact of the matter is that it’s not written for the layperson.

Tax attorneys know where to start when it comes to that part of the tax code that will benefit you. And, they’ll know how to read all the corresponding court cases that interpret the tax code and set limits on IRS procedures. You’ll need that expertise if you’re litigating back tax debt.

Private information with a tax attorney

Every lawyer and his or her client enjoys attorney-client privilege. With this privilege, anything you say to your attorney – except for information that furthers a crime or fraud – will be privileged and out of the IRS’s hands.

This advantage is important because you won’t enjoy it if you’re represented solely by an accountant or tax professional. Anything you tell them may end up in court. So going with a tax attorney will help keep private information private.

Tax attorneys are skilled in tax law and IRS rules and procedures

Few fields of law are as niche and specialized as tax law. Tax attorneys routinely interact with IRS tax attorneys, and tax law cases go to U.S. Tax Court, a unique tribunal with hundreds of unique court rules.

Also, some tax attorneys are former IRS agents. So, they’ll probably know how to use the IRS’s rules and procedures against it. Tax law is also one of the few fields of law that are the subject of specialized law degrees. If you’re litigating over back tax debt, or if your business are the subject of an IRS audit, having a tax attorney with that unique knowledge will work wonders for your case.

Having a legal issue with the IRS surely isn’t fun, but it’s even worse if you’re going up against a skilled IRS tax attorney without one of your own. If the stakes are high, hiring a tax attorney is the better way to represent yourself or your business when it comes to an IRS audit or back tax debt collection.

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