As of September 2010, the tax agency had 80,606 items in storage, of which 28% — or 22,486 items — had been there for at least a year and a half without being used or moved, according to [a TIGTA] report. Those items took up 34,194 square feet of warehouse space costing about $862,000 in rent annually. [WSJ]
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Despite the IRS, The Dude Abides
Isn’t it just like the IRS to try and pull a fast one on El Duderino?
Sure, the man’s name is really Jeff Bridges and he wasn’t an awarded for an Oscar for a performance that will certainly transcend the life of cinema but that’s not the point.
The point is that the IRS thought they had another celebrity in their sights. They were going to lump Duder in with Nicolas Cage, Ving Rhames, Nas, etc. etc. etc. and enjoy a little celebrity embarassment.
Well! Turns out they were wrong. Dead wrong:
[Bridges’] Publicist Jean Sievers said the tax issue was resolved in February and resulted in Bridges paying “significantly less” than the amount listed on the lien.
“However, for some reason there was some delay in communication between the department that resolved the tax matter and the collection department,” Sievers said.
Because there was a delay, the lien was filed last month, she added. Yet as of this afternoon, the lien had not been released, according to the Los Angeles County Recorder of Deeds office.
“The IRS screwed it up,” Sievers said. “It’s so funny. The IRS screws it up and he ends up owing less than what was on the lien.”
IRS slaps lien on Oscar-winner Jeff Bridges [Tax Watchdog]
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Latest IRS Snafu: Inmates Collect $100k in Refunds
This is getting ridiculous, you guys. As if suicidal pilots and bulldozing protestors weren’t enough of an annoyance, now the Service has been victimized by inmates in a South Florida jail.
According to the AP, about 50 inmates are allegedly responsible for requesting $1 million in fraudulent refunds from the IRS and collecting around $100,000 for their diligent efforts. The report states that the inmates used “a standard IRS form” (we’re guessing Form 843?) most for $5,000 and that some checks were sent directly to the jail. Oh and the best part is that the scheme was foiled by “a how-to note…found in an inmate’s cell,” rather than a crack squad of investigators.
To say that the IRS needed some good press would be a gross understatement, but for crissakes, they need some good press. Sure getting Nicolas Cage to bone up $14 mil is okay and everyone is stoked for Ron Howard to make the Service hilarious but they could use a big break right now. We called the Florida branch to get their ideas but the spokesman told us that the Herald pretty much had it right and that’s all that he was saying.
At this point, nothing short of Doug Shulman capturing Osama Bin Laden (with an IRS-issued Remington no less) while singing God Bless America and apologizing for all the unanswered customer service phone calls will get the American public to looking fondly upon the IRS. If you’ve got better ideas, let us know but that would be our suggestion for an improved image campaign.
Inmates at S. Fla. jail accused of scamming IRS [AP via Miami Herald]