Praying For Clients
One thing inherent about my job as a taxman is getting to know some clients’ deep personal issues in life from private information intimately disclosed to me in confidence when I solve their problems. What I learn through the process in strict confidence is protected by client’s privacy rules in tax practice.
Do not get the wrong impression that tax people like me simply “print tax forms” that are needed only once during tax season and far in between, we wait for the grueling next round the following year. Nope. Tax service to clients is all year ‘round. During the year, clients run into all kinds of trouble and here are a few of them today. There are others in client file folders in the office, each with a unique story. In every case, I do the best I can.
A 79 year old retired lady purchased a home just two (2) years ago, during the good of real estate loans, refinanced the loan, took some money from it, repaid the mortgage out of it, and then lost funds to continue paying, until finally the home got foreclosed two (2) years hence.
Say, how could a lender give a 30-year loan to an old lady without good means of paying and whose life expectancy is rather short? We learn in this country that age is no impediment to obtaining a mortgage. However, banks in the Philippines would not lend mortgage money to borrowers after an age range. Anyway, this old lady with no more taxable income and no longer file her tax returns paid mortgage interests for $32,000 a year. For some misplaced discretion, that mortgage interest was deemed “taxable income” by the State of California that multiplied it four (4) times to compute taxes ($128,000 of taxable income). The poor woman was assessed with taxes, interests and penalties that came up to over $12,000 dollars. She ignored all tax notices. It thus resulted to a bank levy (bank account garnishment) that took $4,000 dollars of personal bank account deposits.
We could say, “no one should do that to someone already retired and living in peace with no taxable income.” But it happened in this case. She intimated to me she would have a heart attack, if she would lose all her bank money to the government this way. We did what was right; she got all her money back on a bank levy release in two (2) days. I told her it was our dealing with “administrative due process” that brought her money back, not her age, nor her personal needs, nor her non-taxable income, nor her impending heart attack.
While the government may come to know all these in another administrative process, the shorter “due process” worked in her best interest. When it was all over, she gave me three (3) ripe mangoes, a good retainer fee, and two (2) hugs, and most importantly, the great wish of “God bless you.”
Another problem was from a disabled gentleman, a widower, with two (2) undisciplined and unemployed US-born children. He was in tears during our meeting having lost his wife quite recently, who left them with some $19,000 dollars of IRS tax debt and $2,000 dollars of taxes to the State of California. His social security disability benefits alone cannot support himself and his two (2) children to stay together in one home. He was asking for help how to deal with the unpaid taxes that his deceased wife left with them before he goes back to the Philippines to live there for good, leaving the two (2) spoiled children behind to fend on their own. In addition to solving his tax problems, I wanted him to stay with his two (3) children to keep the family unit together. The problems were so great that we had to resort to prayer together. Somehow, I have felt the heaviness in his heart after finding out that we both share the same Faith. I still ask God to continue to help this person for the remaining years of his family life. Pray for him, if you are reading.
These two (2) stories in one day from two (2) troubled clients who came to the office give you the impression as to what else we do during the year. Did God send these people over? Absolutely yes. He does them everyday. I am fully convinced of that.
Angel Y. Dayan, EA, CPA, ABA, ATA is a Tax Problems Resolution Specialist. He is a Federal Tax Practitioner admitted to practice in California and in 50 States. A CPA in Texas, he completed a Masters Course in Tax Representation. His office is at 150 East Olive Ave., Ste.-116 Burbank, CA. He meets clients daily for appointment all year ‘round. He could be reached at (213)-365-1040
Last 5 Posts by Angel Dayan
- Ruminating The New TaxTime - February 12th, 2010
- New Tax Changes Alert - February 1st, 2010
- Marikina Town Under Water - October 6th, 2009
- Re-Evaluating Retirement Contributions - August 28th, 2009
- Manny Pacquiao and Taxes - August 19th, 2009
