Today I got eight letters from the IRS, one for each year in which I have a tax debt (in 2008 I didn’t owe any tax, so that year is missing). Each letter tells me the amount I haven’t paid for that year, including interest and penalties.
They do this every year, so this isn’t unexpected. But there are two things that make it remarkable this year:
- The oldest year in the stack is tax year . Since it’s currently , the ten-year statute of limitations clock is really ticking on this one. The agency has until to collect.
- The total for those years comes to $46,259. When they notice that I haven’t paid my taxes either, that will bring the total up above $50,000. At that point, according to a new law whose implementation is only now being rolled out, the IRS is supposed to notify the State department that I’m a notorious tax scofflaw, and that agency is then authorized to rescind my passport. I really hope they don’t. But that adds to the risks I’m taking with this approach.