MF> Hmm.  I wasn't IRS, but once I audited a contractor in
 MF> Baltimore.  He put me in the attic of the building next door
 MF> with a malfunctioniung calculator and a broken window so the
 MF> pigeons were in and out and there was bird shit everywhere.  He
 MF> also refused me access to the files, insisting that I go to him
 MF> personally for each record I wanted to review.  He often was
 MF> not in his office.
I didn't go quite that far in accomodating the Taxman: he got a decent
work area, the use of * my * private coffee maker (with coffee and
filters, to boot), and he had ample heat in the room plus a comfortable
chair with plenty of room for his butt to shift-around in . However, I
did _expect_ for the Taxman to bring his own "tools of the trade"...
I * deliberately * made myself scarce because I knew (too well ?) the
extent of my dislike for * anything * that smacked of "tax office", but
I did leave one person around with the authority to grant the man
"sufficient access to records, as needed". Where there was any question
or situation requiring my personal attention, I contrived to always be
just "a telephone call away". BUT..."Bottom Line" was such that I
_always_ knew _exactly_ what it was that the Taxman wanted or needed,
even if this was after the fact.
 MF> ...I stayed the week, offering suggestions for improvement of his
 NF> system and records as I progressed.
I've always been open to suggestions leading to improvements, even from
Tax Auditors ! I've never been known to reject "out of hand" any
suggestions, no matter who it was that proposed them. Only after a
thorough analysis would forthright rejection come about. Who knows: maybe
there were ideas to improve upon the original "better idea" ? There were a
couple of times when the "better idea" had actually turned-out to be sour
grapes...they "cost" us, but when taken as "a cost of doing business", even
they were worth trying !!
 MF> I think I might have done things his way in re the records, if it
 MF> hadn't been for the bird shit.
Yes, the _degree_ of severe abuse by that man was definitely not called
for ! He _deserved_ the treatment he got from your organization, minority or
not !
All too often, minority business folks will work the "discrimination"
angle, many a times to their disadvantage. This too, is a form of abuse,
but many don't _want to_ see the situation like that. It's a double-edged
sword, as I see it: in _business_ there are always OTHER avenues open to
extract some form of revenge...or advantage. The _problem_ comes when an
inexperienced employer cries "wolf" as per some _social_ condition and
attempts to "correct" by claiming foul before conducting a thorough
analysis of the _overall_ situation. In your case, it's obvious what it
cost the man in the end...
 MF> You don't have to make your auditors happy, but you shouldn't
 MF> tick them off.  IRS can make things really hairy for you, and
 MF> over a period of years, even if your returns are perfectly
 MF> legit.
Yes, the Taxman has the POWER to effect just exactly that. One can
choose to accomodate the situation and earn Brownie Points in the long
run or not. The latter is the more "dangerous" route to take unless
one's got the experience AND the resources to counter effectively the
Beaucracy (something that few really have, in reality). However, the
POWER held by the Taxman MUST be kept in check, and there must be a
general agreement that the Department (an Anglo/Canadian term to describe
any government agency) adheres to the _exact_ Letter and Spirit of the
Law, otherwise all bloody Hell and chaos can break loose at any given
moment. Even the Taxman has a responsibility to be mindful of the
taxpayer's rights, but bird sh*t, I don't think, is one that needs any
further considerations... ! I agree, that if we could ALL be "decent"
towards one another, that _anything_ is negotiable. In my case, I thought
it prudent that I _not_ be immediately in the loop when I suffered my audits,
but that didn't mean that I needed to show my _personal_ dislike for "The
Taxman" by showing a mean streak of spirit and thought openly. After
all, s/he is just another person doing a job, mind it's not the "best"
job in the world from which to win friends...
 
Semper Fi
RTP
... There is only one difference between a madman and me. I am not mad.
~~~ PGPBLUE 3.0 
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