Atlanta taxpayers with IRS problems, back taxes, or tax debt know they need tax relief but aren’t sure who to turn to. Do you need a Certified Public Accountant or an Atlanta tax attorney? What’s the difference anyway? You want to get the best advice for your unique tax problem, but you also don’t want to pay for more muscle than you need.

Bottom line – a good CPA will keep you from getting into tax trouble, an Atlanta tax lawyer will help you get out of tax trouble and get you tax relief.

If you’re looking for someone to prepare your taxes, a CPA with the right training and certifications can help you with solid financial and tax help. If the IRS is breathing down your neck, threatening you with tax liens, tax levies, wage garnishments, or worse, then you need the big gun that an Atlanta tax attorney can bring to the table.

Jeffrey S. Gartzman is both an Atlanta tax attorney and CPA in Atlanta who has helped clients get out of tax trouble with the IRS and Georgia Department of Revenue, and also prepare income taxes, for nearly 30 years. He has helped clients in a tricky tax debt situation who tried to deal with the IRS on their own or turned to an inexperienced advisor instead of an Atlanta tax lawyer. Tax relief is in reach. Contact Gartzman Law Firm today at (770) 939-7710.

If the IRS is making your life miserable with threats and harassment, a reputable Atlanta tax attorney is your best shot at tax relief. An expert in tax resolution, he or she will walk you through the best options to try to fix your IRS tax problems, find tax relief, and settle tax debt, tackle IRS tax disputes, settle back taxes and resolve tax debt, tax audits, tax appeals, and tax liens and levies with effective legal counsel.

While most people quake at the thought of taking on the IRS, Atlanta tax lawyers are the specialists you need to successfully handle your tax audit or appeal and settle your tax debt for the lowest amount in full compliance with the tax laws.

Your professional Atlanta tax attorney should have years and years of experience dealing with the IRS, and coming out a winner. He or she will know the ins and outs of the tax code and use it to get you tax relief.

Whether you have a problem with Georgia state tax resolution, settling back taxes and IRS debt, tax appeals, tax liens or levies, your Atlanta tax lawyer will bring you top-notch legal and tax counsel. They will walk you through the best legal course of action, examining the details of your unique situation and bring palatable options to resolve your tax problems including an IRS appeal, Offer in Compromise, setting up an IRS payment plan, or bankruptcy tax review.

The best Atlanta tax attorneys assist clients with innocent spouse relief, bankruptcy discharge of tax review, and payroll tax problems. They will provide keen guidance in preparing federal income taxes and Georgia state tax returns, minimizing taxes, and tax planning aimed at the best outcome for individual or corporate taxes. They might even offer to perform an IRS Audit Exposure Review to determine your chances of surviving an IRS audit, and then thoroughly lay a course of action for preparation.

If you have problems with the IRS, call an Atlanta tax lawyer now. You have too much to lose. Contact Jeffrey S. Gartzman at Gartzman Law Firm at 770-939-7710 and get an experienced Atlanta tax attorney on your side.

If you needed surgery, would you attempt to do it yourself? An IRS tax audit is just as critical for your tax, financial and business wellbeing, so don’t go it alone.

Ask anyone who has tried to “DIY” the audit process unsuccessfully: The IRS has been far more aggressive in tax audits and collection efforts in recent years. Taxpayers are not guaranteed flexibility from the IRS. Learn from my Atlanta tax relief clients who have found tax help with expert tax attorney representation, even at the eleventh hour with an IRS audit.

It’s never too late to hire an Atlanta tax attorney

If you receive notice from the IRS that you’re being audited, representing yourself can be dangerously inefficient and close doors on key opportunities that your tax attorney will understand from the start.

A textbook example is the taxpayer who either ignored the IRS audit notice or dealt with the IRS auditor alone. Take advice from my Atlanta tax relief clients who tried an IRS audit alone and wish they hadn’t.

IRS audit lessons you don’t want to learn the hard way:

• They missed the opportunity for an administrative appeal and are left with hard choices, like tax court or IRS tax debt with no way out.
• The IRS auditor found their tax and financial records were incomplete or too disorganized.
• The process was confusing because they didn’t speak the tax lingo of the IRS auditor.
• Staggering interest and penalties were accumulating the entire time they ignored or delayed the tax audit.
• They don’t know of or understand their legal and financial options for surviving an IRS audit or the tax audit follow-up process.
• They get stung with a large assessment for several years of previous tax returns, unfiled taxes, or back taxes – not just the year for which they were being audited.

If you find yourself at the brink of an IRS audit failure, a tax attorney can intervene and provide tax help in many critical ways. As your tax attorney, my job is to interface with IRS personnel on your behalf.

Last minute tax representation is always better than none. However, you have a significantly better chance to successfully navigate an IRS audit if you get a tax attorney on your side the minute you learn you’re being audited.

Jeffrey S. Gartzman, Atlanta Tax Attorney and CPA, has been providing Atlanta tax relief for over 28 years. If you are facing an IRS audit, contact Gartzman Tax Law to get a tax attorney on your side immediately. Call the Gartzman Law Firm today at (770) 939-7710.

Taxpayers in Georgia have learned the hard way that the State of Georgia, Department of Revenue has been aggressive in tax collection efforts in recent years. For people who owe state back taxes or can’t afford to pay their Georgia state income taxes, filing delinquent tax returns can be stressful.

Atlanta taxpayers should know the Georgia Department of Revenue is under new leadership this year. As a member of the tax section leadership team for the Georgia Society of CPAs, I had the chance to hear the new Tax Commissioner Mr. Douglas J. MacGinnite, Esq. speak at our recent annual meeting with the Georgia Department of Revenue. At this annual Executive Roundtable, Atlanta tax attorneys and CPAs who are members of the Society participate in a discussion with government leaders regarding taxpayer concerns – in the spirit of making our tax system work better for everyone.

With the incoming tax law leadership at the helm, I find myself optimistic that there will be opportunities for flexibility for taxpayers to settle their state tax debt, back taxes, and in negotiating tax audits successfully. As an Atlanta tax attorney, I look forward to more opportunity for me to help my clients resolve their tax problems.

Jeffrey S. Gartzman has 28 years of experience as an Atlanta CPA and tax attorney. As a long standing member of the Georgia Society of CPAs Tax Section Leadership Team, the Georgia State Bar Tax Section, and the Atlanta Bar Association, Mr. Gartzman holds positions of leadership where he advocates for taxpayer solutions in collaboration with state government. Contact Gartzman Tax Law to learn about your opportunities to reduce tax debt and pay IRS back taxes. Call the Gartzman Law Firm at (770) 939-7710 today.

Divorce can be difficult enough without the possibility of serious tax problems for one or both spouses. Here are some Atlanta tax resolution lessons to demonstrate how getting tax help can relieve financial damage from a divorce.


Lesson #1 – If you’re facing the hard truth that you might be getting divorced, tax planning can save you from IRS tax debt (and more marital strife).

There is a bright side to the realization you are facing a divorce: You have the opportunity to split and transfer assets in the most tax efficient manner – and to decide whether you’ll file jointly or separate as a couple.

Sometimes couples are separated for months or years before a divorce. In this situation, it is critical to examine whether you will file federal income taxes as joint or separate. If a couple files a joint return and then gets audited by the IRS, both spouses are on the hook for tax debt – regardless of who brought in more income, or who was more responsible with paying income taxes.

If you know your marriage might be on the rocks, seek your own Atlanta tax lawyer now and consider delaying your divorce until after you get tax help.


Lesson #2 – If you know your spouse has IRS tax problems, hire your own tax attorney during a divorce to protect your taxpayer rights and your bank account.

In the event one spouse has underpaid federal income taxes for the year, both spouses are at risk during an IRS audit if they filed joint on federal tax returns. It doesn’t matter if a state-issued divorce decree holds one spouse more responsible for Georgia state tax problems; in the eyes of the IRS they are both jointly responsible for federal tax debt.

Your spouse may be in hot water with the IRS, but you can hire your own Atlanta tax attorney to protect your rights. Ask your tax attorney or CPA if you qualify for IRS Innocent Spouse Relief or Allocation of Liability.

Work with an Atlanta tax attorney for expert legal counsel on managing IRS tax problems that go hand-in-hand with the legal complexities of a divorce.

If your pending or recent divorce has left behind problems with the IRS, back taxes, or IRS tax debt, Atlanta tax attorney and CPA Jeffrey S. Gartzman can help you with tax relief solutions. Don’t face divorce tax problems alone – get experienced financial and legal counsel on your side. Contact The Gartzman Law Firm today online or call (770) 939-7710.

If you owe IRS back taxes from unfiled income taxes, sooner or later the IRS will take action to collect. In many cases this means additional tax debt from penalties and interest – on top of IRS liens and levies that can bring your life or your business to a halt. When you work with an Atlanta tax attorney or CPA to get tax relief, your tax lawyer will intervene with the IRS and work to reasonably settle IRS back taxes for you.

“Times were tough, so I didn’t pay my taxes.”

It’s a story I hear frequently these days: Maybe you were making good money or staying in the black with self-employment income before the economy went downhill – along with your job or small business income. You tried to stay afloat by not filing federal income taxes, and now you owe back taxes.

During this recent Recession the IRS significantly increased their efforts to enforce tax collection. Avoiding paying federal income taxes during tough economic times will only result in a staggering IRS tax debt from back taxes.

I provided IRS tax relief services to a client who had accumulated tax debt during the rough economy. With tax help from the Gartzman Law Firm, my client was able to settle almost $250,000 in back taxes for about $20,000 by pursuing an Offer in Compromise with the IRS.

Here’s how your Atlanta tax attorney can help you pursue an Offer in Compromise:

1. Meet with a tax attorney and complete a financial worksheet to paint a complete scenario of your IRS tax problems and owed back taxes.

2. Give your tax attorney Power of Attorney so they can communicate with the IRS on your behalf about your tax debt and specific details in your tax record: unfiled returns, amount the IRS claims you owe, etcetera.

3. Your tax attorney will review your case and present viable financial and legal options to present an Offer in Compromise to the IRS.

4. Work with your tax attorney to complete the filing for an Offer in Compromise. As a tax attorney, I understand what the IRS will be taking into consideration regarding your financial status: income, expenses, assets, liabilities, and personal issues like age, employment, medical, and family status.

5. Submit the Offer in Compromise. On average, the process takes three to four months.

6. You will receive a letter from the IRS about the acceptance status of your Offer in Compromise, and what payment is owed.

During this process your Atlanta tax attorney will intervene on your behalf with the IRS – meaning you’ll talk with your lawyer, not get bounced around to different people at the IRS. Your tax attorney may meet with an IRS Revenue Officer, automated collection service (ACS) personnel, Offer in Compromise examiners, or sometimes an Appeals Officer to resolve your tax problems.

Back taxes and IRS tax problems preventing you from economic recovery? Settle your back taxes today with the experienced legal counsel and financial guidance of Jeffrey S. Gartzman, Atlanta tax attorney and CPA by calling (770) 939-7710, or contact us online.

With the new federal tax-cut bill on the horizon, you might be wondering how changes in US tax policy affect you this upcoming federal tax filing season. Learn more about the facts of the bill, or ask your tax attorney for an industry insider’s scoop.

Here are the tax figures built into the bill for the next two years:

• Federal income tax rates will remain the same – at a maximum of 35% for the highest income brackets
• Dividends and capital gains tax will remain the same – at a maximum rate of 15%
• Exemptions will increase for the Alternative Minimum Tax when filing federal income taxes
• Social security tax withheld from employees’ paychecks will decrease from 6.2% to 4.2%
• Estate tax exclusion will increase from $3.5 Million to $5 Million per person – meaning, if you pass away and leave an estate valued up to $5 Million, your estate would not be taxed on it.
• Maximum estate tax rates will decrease from 45% to 35%
• Certain items that expired in 2009 and 2010 will be extended

Though the potential changes in tax law for 2011 may not have an immediate impact on your tax debt problems or filing tax returns for 2010, they could affect your tax planning decisions.

Income tax and estate tax planning with a licensed Atlanta CPA and tax attorney will help you understand changes in tax law in this year and any. It’s important for taxpayers to meet with their tax experts when making decisions about wills and trusts, tax planning, and changes to your estate.

Jeffrey S. Gartzman is an Atlanta tax attorney and CPA who has been helping people in Atlanta with tax planning and estate planning since 1982. To get the tax help you need, contact The Gartzman Law Firm today at (770) 939-7710.

In the 28 years that I’ve been helping individuals and businesses who are facing IRS tax problems and tax debt, I’ve learned there is a simple and direct approach to getting the tax help you need.

Whether a taxpayer is facing an IRS audit or paying back taxes, you can do these three things to get tax help:

#1: Hire a professional as soon as possible
The longer you wait, the deeper the hole. Get tax relief help from a tax attorney, CPA, or other tax professional. There are significant benefits to working with a tax attorney and CPA, such as the knowledge base and IRS connections to get you through the entire tax relief process from start to finish.

#2: Get organized
If the IRS is after you, getting your tax data and information in one place is necessary, not optional. A tax professional or tax attorney can walk you through this process and tell you what files, receipts, and other data are required.

#3: Bring your official notice
Be sure to retain any and all or notices sent to  you by the IRS or state tax revenue department. Bring these notices to your tax attorney or CPA so they understand what you’re facing.

No matter what tax debt situation you face, or how critical a taxpayer perceives their situation to be, the best way to find the tax help you need is to hire expert guidance.

Move forward and don’t sit in your tracks! Tax problems don’t go away on their own, and not all tax professionals are the same. Bring your tax debt case to someone who helps with IRS tax relief on a daily basis and understands all routes and procedures.

Jeffrey S. Gartzman is an Atlanta tax attorney and CPA who has been helping people find tax relief for over 28 years. He will help you resolve IRS and state tax problems, find tax relief and settle tax debt. Mr. Gartzman is an accredited Personal Financial Specialist with the American Institute of CPAs. To get the tax help you need, contact The Gartzman Law Firm, P.C., today at (770) 939-7710.