JUST SEND ME MY *%&# REFUND!!

Okay, I know the IRS is a very old topic for complaining but I have got to vent about this one. Because, in the end, isn't that really the only option left for us working stiffs? Who can actually do something about the IRS when they (again) screw someone out of grocery money?

Here's the deal - - in 2002 I quit a relatively high paying job in Dallas to move to the country with my husband. We chose to forego decent pay for hopefully a decent lifestyle for our future kids. We moved to his home county where he is now Sheriff. Trust me, there are no big bucks in law enforcement. But we figured the lack of money would be outweighed by our ability to know everyone in our community and be a bigger influence in our kids' lives.

Back to 2002 - when we quit our high paying jobs we cashed out our retirements. Apparently my husband's account manager did better in the "tax" course than mine did. While his distribution included the appropriate amount of federal taxes withheld, mine did not. I did not know this at the time because I instructed the investment firm which managed my account to "withhold ALL necessary taxes and penalties because I will be unemployed for an unforeseeable amount of time and I will not be able to pay anybody anything." We sold a bunch of stuff, packed what was left, and headed for the country. I scrupulously managed our money since Hubby took about a 63% cut in pay and I took a 100% cut in pay.

Here comes the summer of 2004, we have a 3 month old baby, I'm unemployed, and the IRS sends me a lovely little missive in the mail: "You owe us $4,000. Send payment now." Needless to say, I did not send the graciously requested payment. For the next 18 months I correspond back and forth with the IRS regarding the distribution from my 401k and that all taxes were withheld pursuant to my instructions to the account manager. Said correspondence went something like this:

Me: September 2004 "The taxes were paid when the account was liquidated."
IRS: October 2004 "You owe us $4,100. Send payment now."
Me: December 2004 "I have documentation to show that the taxes were paid in full."
IRS: February 2005 "You owe us $4,300. Send payment now."
Me: April 2005 "I have filed with the Tax Payer Advocacy Dept."
IRS: July 2005 "You owe us $4,500. Send payment now."
Me: August 2005 "I'm not paying money I don't owe!"
IRS: December 2005 "You owe us $4,700. Send payment now."
Me: January 2006 "Screw you! You can't get blood from a turnip!"
IRS: February 2006 "You owe us $4,800. Wages are being garnished."
Me: February 10, 2006 "Enclosed please find my check in the amount of $4,800."


So anyways, we file our 2005 income tax and it shows that we have $475 coming back to us. Woo-hoooooo! Okay, today is March 22, 2006 and we have yet to receive the check. Every time I call to find out the status of our refund, the IRS agent wants to start back at point A where I owed them money. Then after 15 minutes of me regurgitating all the specifics of what I owed, when I paid, how much I paid, the date the check cleared my bank, YADA YADA YADA - - the agent finally says to me, "Yeah, you should receive your check within the next two weeks." I have been told that same exact thing from FIVE different IRS agents since February 12th.

JUST SEND ME MY DAMN MONEY!!!