Residents Recount Irs Horror Stories Crapo Says Stories Show People Are Unhappy With Government

Boise lawyer Robert C. Huntley paid the federal government $74,845.61 in taxes for 1996.

In July he got a letter from the Internal Revenue Service, claiming he had underpaid by 39 cents. The interest was a penny - but the IRS penalized him $123.70 for the 39-cent underpayment.

The national tax agency came in for a strong heap of criticism Saturday at a hearing sponsored by Idaho’s two members of the House. It was billed as a session for people to air their complaints about the IRS - and there were plenty. One woman said she had to spend a half day dialing a toll-free IRS line which offered “taxpayer assistance” before she got through.

People told of being nagged by the IRS for tax payments with the bureaucracy indifferent to their defenses and complaints. Several said they could get nowhere until they went to the offices of Rep. Helen Chenoweth or Sen. Larry Craig.

Huntley said he didn’t bother. He paid the $124 penalty. “It would have cost me more than $124 in lost time to contest this,” he said.

Rep. Michael Crapo, R-Idaho, said stories from people such as Huntley show there is widespread unhappiness with the IRS. He said some people hesitate to appear at hearings such as the Saturday event for fear the IRS could try to retaliate.

“That is the kind of culture we want to change,” Crapo said.

Chenoweth said people are tired of paying taxes to a government they feel is not responsive to them. “Americans love their country, but they are afraid about some aspects of their government,” she said.

Nancy and Dan Walz, Nampa, were notified they would be audited, and their troubles started. Nancy Walz said they were due a refund of $838, but an IRS bureaucrat said they couldn’t get it because there was a possibility they might owe more taxes after the audit.

That battle also didn’t end until the congressional offices got into it, she said.

“I know nothing can be done for me, but this has got to stop,” she said.

Philip Kormylo, Meridian, got into trouble after he sold part of his orthotics business. He, too, went through months of battles with the IRS. He said those tactics cause people to dislike government.

“They feel oppressed,” he said.