4.2.2008

Rapidtax.com, Tampa Man Beats Odds, Wins Battle Against Death and Taxes

Rapidtax.com, Tampa Man Beats Odds, Wins Battle Against Death and Taxes

Tampa, FL (PRWEB) March 10, 2008 -- A Tampa small business owner found himself in a dire predicament, fighting for resolution of his staggering tax bills and ultimately, for his own life. When the Internal Revenue Service came knocking, this local taxpayer was at death's door with his fiancée holding vigil at his bedside and attorney Darrin T. Mish working feverishly to settle his financial affairs.

Since 2003, the taxpayer, who wished to remain anonymous, struggled with his mounting IRS tax bills and keeping his business afloat. With an estimated tax debt of $80,000, he was working through these financial woes through a pending Offer in Compromise, a form of settlement that allows the taxpayer to pay a portion of the owed tax liability with the IRS forgiving the remaining balance, when tragedy struck.

A local handyman, the taxpayer replaced the floors in a remodeled home when doctors believe a form of bacteria entered his blood stream through a small cut in his foot. His symptoms indicated that he was suffering from a rare blood disease, which would leave him in a comatose state in Tampa General Hospital.

While the lives of the family changed drastically, the debt owed to the IRS did not. Although sensitive to the situation, the IRS officer refused to grant relief for the taxpayer due to his pending obligation under the signed Offer in Compromise agreement. Since the IRS had most recently levied, or taken money, from the taxpayer's bank account, it forced his fiancée to find ways to pay his employees, medical expenses and living expenses.

The silver lining was Mish (http://www.getirshelp.com), an established Tampa Tax Attorney whom the taxpayer hired as their advocate before his condition turned grave.

"Having personally handled hundreds of IRS Problem Resolution cases, this was one of the most sympathetic that I have ever come upon," Mish said.

Under Mish's advice, his client's fiancée obtained the guidance and answers she sought in order to continue meeting the obligations of her partner's business and personal affairs.

With numerous years of experience in tax law, Mish convinced the IRS to give his client temporary relief due to the extenuating circumstances he faced. With the taxpayer in a coma, Mish received the authority to be his client's voice in order to assist in his client's best interests and save him from additional harm to his financial welfare.

"There was no way that I was going to let an accepted IRS Offer in Compromise get away from this taxpayer due to the fact that he was in a coma," Mish said. "Fortunately, due to the quality of the IRS Settlement Officer involved, we were able to prolong the case until such time that the taxpayer woke from the extended coma that he was in."

While doctors feared there was little chance for recovery, the taxpayer continued to fight and subsequently awoke from his coma. Although undeniably weak, he called Mish within days to receive support from his counsel. The man overcame adversity to beat his medical condition but was afraid that his IRS situation and the state of his financial affairs left him with little life to live.

Mish fought back and within days of his client's release from the hospital, they reached an agreement and the taxpayer signed off on a $24,000 settlement to finally put his $80,000 tax bill to rest. "I've never handled a case with a more deserving client. I was so pleased to see that we were able to hold off the IRS until he woke up again. It was touch and go for a while there, but he made it," said Mish.