The IRS is, without a doubt, one of the most intimidating government agencies of all. When most people think about the IRS, they logically think about paying their taxes and, in some cases, getting a refund. Some people have had their identity stolen and, among the financial damages done to them due to that identity theft has been having their tax refunds taken away. People who have attempted to reclaim these tax refunds from the IRS have had, according to a report in TBO.com, better luck getting that money through a lawsuit than have people who have attempted to go at it on their own.
Not Being Heard
One man profiled in the article was the victim of identity theft and, because of that, never received his 2010 refund. In the article, he claims that an IRS worker was assigned to handle his case but that he never got his phone calls returned and that his call – according to the agent’s voicemail – would be returned within 60 days. What follows is a typical story of bureaucratic sloth. Each time the man called he had to reiterate his entire story, as he was never able to get the same person.
After learning in a news article that another victim of such a situation had successfully sued the IRS and gotten his refund very quickly after having filed the lawsuit, he decided to do the same. The article does go on to say that the IRS has worked very hard to get these cases dismissed but also notes that people who have filed them have gotten their returns rather quickly after having done so.
Lawyers and Bureaucracy
Denied Social Security benefits, problems with the IRS and other bureaucratic nightmares are all reasons that some people end up hiring a lawyer. Sometimes, these lawyers end up successfully suing for money that’s owed and, in other cases, simply having a lawyer handle the matter speeds things along, for whatever reason. Don’t expect the agency that was holding back your money to admit that they were dragging their feet, but you can certainly take comfort in the fact that having a lawyer may help you to get the money at all.
One of the things that lawyers excel at is understanding bureaucracies, the rules that apply to them and how to use those rules against the bureaucracy itself. Most of the time, when you go up against a government bureaucracy, to use an analogy, you’re fighting an uphill battle against a taller and stronger opponent. You’re just not going to win on your own. If you’re having trouble with the government, an insurance company or any other bureaucracy that’s not giving you the money you’re owed, have a Houston attorney take a look at the situation and they may be able to help you.