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| CHAPTER 1: Introduction CHAPTER 2: When the IRS comes knocking CHAPTER 3: Legal tax saving techniques CHAPTER 4: Illegal tax saving techniques (DO NOT USE THESE) CHAPTER 5: How to select a CPA or other tax advisors CHAPTER 6: Taxpayer salvation and required changes in the tax system CHAPTER 7: Estate taxes: The IRS gets you coming and going CHAPTER 8: How much tax is too much tax? CHAPTER 9: IRS new audit procedures (We'll get you one way or the other) CHAPTER 10: How to audit proof your returns CHAPTER 11: Don't stack me with taxes CHAPTER 12: Give me what's mine! CHAPTER 13: Helpful Examples |
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| C. Richard Dobbins, Sr., is a practicing Certified Public Accountant in Corinth, Mississippi, where he is a partner in the firm of Dobbins & Brawner, CPAs. Prior to starting his own accounting firm in 1973 in his home town of Corinth, Dobbins worked nearly 5 years for Peat Marwick, a big six accounting firm in Memphis, TN and later as Secretary-Treasurer of a chain of finance companies. During his 30 year career as a CPA Dobbins has represented numerous clients, both individuals and businesses, in matters before the Internal Revenue Service. Those experiences prompted him to write How to Screw The IRS, a book offering taxpayers practical approaches to tax planning, and tax savings. How to Screw The IRS helps taxpayers save money by learning legal tax strategies that reduces the amount of taxes they owe. And How to Screw The IRS gives taxpayers matter-of-fact advice when they must deal with the IRS or any other taxing authority. How to Screw The IRS is not an inflammatory, antigovernment book as some might believe the title suggests. In fact the title is a tongue-in-cheek barb at the Internal Revenue Service and a tax system Dobbins calls "cumbersome and very hard to understand". Dobbins counts several IRS agents among his many friends, and he claims they are still speaking to him. Dobbins is 1964 graduate of Mississippi State University. He and his wife Peggy, live in Corinth, where Dobbins is an elder in the Kendrick Road Church of Christ. The Dobbins have 3 grown children, all of whom are accountants. In his spare time, Dobbins enjoys quail hunting and riding horses. Dobbins is the co-owner of the 1992 National Champion bird dog, "The Hitch-Hiker." |
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| "As a former IRS agent, I've sat across the table from Richard Dobbins as he has represented clients during audits. During those negotiations, he left no stone unturned to protect the interest of his clients. In How to Screw The IRS, Dobbins shares that no-nonsense attitude and information with every taxpayer. Anyone dealing with the IRS who does not read this book does so at their own peril. How to Screw The IRS could be worth lots of money to a taxpayer." - J Hargett, CPA and former IRS agent "How to Screw The IRS has important information for anyone who pays taxes. Business people will certainly benefit from reading this book, but it's also written with the lay person in mind, who may not be familiar with the language of taxes. Richard Dobbins has written about a complex subject in a down-to-earth way, and with a sense of humor. I learned a great deal from this book." - M Oden, English teacher "How to Screw The IRS was one of the most important books I have ever read. It has information that every business person needs to know, particularly the advice on tax planning, which I found invaluable. Everyone fears an IRS audit, but after reading this book, I now know what to expect and I know my rights should I ever be audited. I read How to Screw The IRS in one sitting - I recommend it enthusiastically " - B Simmons, business owner "I'm an accountant myself, and I've relied on Richard Dobbins for tax work and tax advice through the years. Now he has written a hard-hitting book about a subject he knows a great deal about. How to Screw The IRS is full of excellent information from someone who has spent years eyeball-to-eyeball with the IRS." - M Sandy, Jr., CPA |
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| Why did you give the book that title? A woman came into the office of my accounting firm awhile back and asked me why I titled my book How to Screw The IRS. I told her that its been my long-time ambition to legally pay as little in taxes as I could. She said "honey, we all want to do that." And that's why I titled my book How to Screw The IRS, because it's something we'd all like to do. I'm trying to show people how they can beat the IRS and legally pay less in taxes. Now I know that some people might not like the title, but they should read the book before they complain. What don't you like about the IRS? The IRS is plagued by poor training and poor management. Morale is a problem too. I think the IRS should be run more like a business and train their employees more like a business. Why did you write this book? I wrote this book to help people save money by reducing the amount of taxes they pay. And I wrote this book so taxpayers will know what to do if they are audited and how to knowledgeably deal with the IRS. I've been thinking about writing this book for 15 or 20 years. I met an author named Craig Ryan, from Portland, Oregon, who wrote a book about pioneers in aviation, called The Pre-Astronauts. I told him about my ambition to write a book and he encouraged me to get started. How many returns will be audited by the IRS this year? The IRS will audit between one to five percent of all returns. The more items on your return and the more returns you file increase your chances of being audited. So your chances of being audited at some time or another in your lifetime is pretty good. And anyone who has been audited knows that can be an unpleasant experiences. Will following the advice in this book increase or decrease the chances of being audited? It should decrease your chances of being audited. Chapter 10 is called, "How to Audit Proof Your Returns." I cover common errors people make when they fill out their returns that cause their returns to be delayed or a tax return to be checked by the IRS computer. How is How to Screw The IRS different from any other tax related books? Frankly, most other tax books bore me to tears. They are too technical and only appeal to tax specialists. My book is reader friendly. It's written for all types of people to understand and then put the information to use. Is the information in this book easy for the average taxpayer to use? Or will they need the help of a CPA? You don't need the help of a CPA to understand the information in this book. I have dozens of friends, some of whom don't have college degrees, who have benefited from reading this book. One of my best friends owns a big furniture store and he took the book home to read one night. He called me the next morning and asked me if he could become my partner. How much money can people save by using the ideas from this book? Let me give you a couple of examples. A teacher who helped me proof the book told me that if she had read How to Screw The IRS five years ago, she could have saved $5,000 dollars in tax savings. Another person told me after reading the book she realized that she could save thousands of dollars in estate taxes by re-preparing her will. Some taxpayers who use the ideas in How to Screw The IRS may save a large amount of money, others will save less. It depends on the taxpayer and their individual situation. One thing I try to get across in the book is that to save money on taxes you must be willing to invest or save your money. But the bottom line is this: if you use the ideas I've written about in How to Screw The IRS, you will save money by reducing the amount of taxes you owe. Is the information in this book legal? Absolutely. In Chapter 4, I do write about illegal tax schemes that have put some people in prison. Can business owners benefit from the information in How to Screw The IRS? Business owners will find Chapters 3 and 12 particularly interesting since I discuss such things as what type of business structure offers the most tax savings, retirement plans and tax credits businesses may benefit from. And of course there's information throughout the book for individuals, such as ways to shelter income through savings plans and investments. What is tax freedom day? Tax freedom day is the first day of the year you start making money for yourself. In other words, the average American works from January 1 to May 15 just to pay all the money they owe in taxes at some level. After May 15, the money is yours. For business owners tax freedom day is even later because of all the regulatory expenses they must pay the government. When do most people file their tax returns? Fifty percent of all tax returns are filed between April 1 and 15. You hear a lot about a flat tax these days. Do you support a flat tax? We already have a flat tax. 90 percent of the population already pays a flat tax of about 15 percent. Only 10 percent pays 28 percent or higher. Of the 1,300 or 1,400 returns we do each year at my firm, most clients pay a flat tax. Is there need for tax reform? Yes. Government waste, government fraud, tax reform all go hand in hand. The underground economy in this country is huge and the IRS refuses to acknowledge that it's a problem. We need elected officials who have the backbone to reform the tax system and make it simpler and easier to understand. But I don't think a tax cut is the right course of action right now, since we're up to our eyeballs in debt. First let's cut waste and fraud and control spending. By doing that, our coffers would be full and then we could consider a tax cut. |