IRS takes stand on phone tax abuse
Be careful when you request your phone tax refund.
If you don't get it right, you could get a visit from the Internal Revenue Service.
The IRS announced today that its agents have started visiting tax preparers throughout the country to discuss problems with the one-time federal telephone excise tax refund.
The government cut the cord on the tax, which had been around since 1898, last year. Consumers who paid the tax on long-distance, bundled, VoIP or wireless phone service during a 41-month period starting in March 2003 are eligible to get back at least $30.
But the IRS recently has found that some taxpayers are requesting ridiculous sums of money - as much as $30,000, in a few cases.
Look to previous posts on this blog for a more detailed explanation of how to request a refund.