The IRS Increases Its Intrusion
You purchased a ticket for a speaking engagement in Great Britain or South Africa and the day of departure has finally arrived. You and the host Church have been anticipating this upcoming event for months, but as you check in at the airport and begin to process through security, the TSA informs you that your Passport has been revoked.
You are concluding a ministerial trip abroad and as you get ready to leave for your return to the USA, two security officers escort you into a waiting room to be questioned and you discover that your USA Passport is invalid.
Some of you are thinking that this will never happen because your Passport is valid for years to come. You better brace yourself!
The IRS Receives New Powers to Revoke Passports
The scenarios described above are not only possible – they are probable.
In the Transportation Bill passed by Congress this past December, they awarded the Internal Revenue Service brand new, expansive power to collect taxes. If you have a federal tax debt, beginning this month, the IRS can have your Passport revoked by simply sending a message to the State Department.
I believe that people should pay any taxes they owe, especially if they are traveling abroad. However, what possessed Congress to believe the IRS could handle this broad power effectively? They have been investigating the IRS for months over the scandal where the IRS refused to issue 501(c)(3)s to certain non-profits.
A history lesson of the IRS reveals the mistakes they have previously made in wrongfully seizing the bank accounts and property of innocent victims. What give any indication that the IRS has changed its ways. Remember, the IRS is compiled of unelected bureaucrats, and now these same people have been given the power to block our freedom of movement, simply by a phone call or e-mail.
This will be a huge pain for all Americans. As I am typing this, the Federal Government is on a fast track to implement a new identification card and they will demand that it override any state ID such as Driver’s Licenses. When the government does this, it means your passport will be the only valid ID you will have to use at airports – even for travel within the 50 states.
Where will you be if the IRS revokes your Passport during this period? You will be limited to ground transportation.
The IRS Is Still Seizing Bank Accounts
The IRS continues to seize bank accounts without a warrant. This can be triggered by making a series of small deposits into your account. Not long ago the IRS seized $33,000 dollars from the owner of a Mexican Restaurant in Iowa. The American citizen and owner stated that she was NEVER accused of a crime, but the IRS was simply suspicious because she made frequent small deposits.
The IRS has the ability to seize a bank account even though they may not win a conviction or may not even file charges.
Our freedoms are quickly eroding. More than any other time in the history of this nation, United States Citizens are being walled in.
According to one survey, Americans have been surrendering their citizenship in droves. Many that are doing so stated the main reason is because of the overreach of the IRS.
The Problem
The crux of the problem is simply that the IRS can revoke your Passport merely by alleging that you owe money to the federal government.
They do not need the permission of a Judge, or a court review. The IRS does not warn you of their actions, nor do they give you the chance to fight the government’s decision before the revocation.
The IRS operates strictly on a “Guilty until proven innocent” basis.
Any Church, Pastor, or Minister of any kind has set themselves up for a major shock if they do not have Chitwood & Chitwood doing their books. The local CPA or Church Secretary that many have used for bookkeeping does not know how to handle the IRS and protect you and your Ministry. WE DO!
DO NOT GET BLINDSIDED BY A REVOCATION OF YOUR PASSPORT!
In Conclusion
No one knows the IRS, and Church and Ministry finances like we do. 77 years of successfully protecting Churches and Ministers make us the best in the world. Our success record is unparalleled to any other CPA or firm.
Every day that a Church, Church Leader, Pastor, or Minister procrastinates, is another day they have set themselves up for devastating shock from the IRS. Do not think it cannot happen to you. Every month, hundreds of Churches are closed, and ministers and bookkeepers are indicted simply because they trusted the financial records to a novice.
CHEAP ADVICE IS EXPENSIVE. With cheap advice you will get what you pay for, but what you get will not be what you want. God’s financial records deserve the best oversight available and that is Chitwood & Chitwood.
Visit us at www.cmtc.org or call us at 800-344-0076 to retain us or to register for an upcoming tax conference in a city nearest you.
Your ministry is to win the lost. Our ministry is to make sure you can do yours. For us this is “A Ministry – Not A Job!”
