Don’t believe the IRS in an audit situation.

Recently, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, in the case of Rutherford v. U.S, held that when an IRS Revenue Agent violated the IRS Manual and continued a civil tax audit well after the audit became a criminal investigation, that action did not amount to a violation of the taxpayers’ constitutional rights. What this means to the average taxpayer is that even though the IRS does not follow the rules, even its own rules; the IRS is not barred from using evidence obtained in an audit against the taxpayer.

Anyone who deals with the IRS must be very careful. IRS Agents may interpret laws incorrectly and in a way that could harm you. The courts are unlikely to punish the IRS just because one of its Agents made a mistake.

Certainly, there are times when you may fully trust the IRS. Unfortunately, there are situations when you should not automatically believe everything the IRS states.

Whenever a taxpayer deals with the IRS, he or she should seek professional tax assistance.