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Follow up on TBOR and CDP

Posted on July 10, 2018

In an earlier post, I wrote about an order in the case of Dang v. Commissioner remanding a Collection Due Process (CDP) case back to Appeals. Taxpayer opposed the remand requested by the IRS arguing that the Tax Court should just grant the taxpayer’s request for relief without the need of a remand. In a recent order, it looks like the Appeals employee took little time after the remand to reach the conclusion proposed by the taxpayer although the matter is not quite finally settled.

At issue in this case was the taxpayer’s request that the IRS levy on his retirement account in order to satisfy the outstanding tax debt. The revenue officer refused to do so and the Appeals employee said that the CDP hearing did not provide such a remedy. The taxpayer requested that the IRS levy on the retirement account because he was not yet 59 and 1/2. If he pulled the money out of the retirement account as requested by the RO and the SO, he would have to pay tax on the money withdrawn and a 10% excise tax under IRC 72(t)(1). If the IRS levies on the retirement account, the 10% excise tax does not apply because of IRC 72(t)(2)(A)(vii).

Among other arguments, the taxpayer argued that requiring him to pull the money out violated the Taxpayer Bill of Rights since it would cause him to pay more than the correct amount of tax. Requiring him to pull out the money just seemed downright stupid and unfair which no doubt motivated the Chief Counsel attorney to request the remand at the outset of the case. The second time around, Appeals seems to get the concept. The case suggests that some training might be needed and maybe a change in the IRM to make it easier for ROs to levy on a retirement account when requested to do so by the taxpayer. Without such a request, ROs must seek high level approval to levy on a retirement account. Removing the layers of approval when the taxpayer seeks the levy would make it easier for ROs to acquiesce to such a request.

The approval levels provide a barrier that explains why the employees would not readily acquiesce in what seems like a reasonable request by the taxpayer and why their behavior was grounded in logic twisted by the approval levels. The approvals levels necessary to levy on retirement accounts were created to protect taxpayers. So, Mr. Dang’s problem in getting the IRS to levy finds its roots in a procedure designed by the IRS to help but when coupled with the elimination of the penalty offered by IRC 72(t)(2)(A)(vii) ends up hurting certain taxpayers. It’s good to see that the IRS was able to work though the problem in the remand.

Because the case appears on a path to agreement, we will not have the opportunity to see what the Tax Court would do with the TBOR argument made by the taxpayer and whether the use of TBOR in this context might provide a path to remedy.

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