Three powerful points take you from distressed to de-stressed when faced with IRS tax problems. 1. Mum’s the word when the IRS issues a tax lien against you. Say nothing directly to the IRS because anything you say could be detrimental. The IRS agent may sound friendly on the phone and act as though they will help you, however remember their only priority is to get every penny they say you owe them. In their mind everything that’s yours is THE-IRS. 2. Hire a reputable tax resolution attorney. Your best resource is someone who does this kind of work day-in and day-out; someone with a tried and true success record – not an accountant, and definitely not the one who prepared your taxes. Keep in mind that accountants do not have confidentiality privileges like attorneys do and can be forced to testify against their clients. And don’t go for the big name firms where you’ll pay big bucks while your case is more likely to be one on which a junior member will be cutting their teeth. 3. Hire a local tax attorney – or “go local” While this is the last of the three powerful strategic points in dealing with IRS tax problems, it is certainly not the least. Sitting down face-to-face with an expert tax resolution attorney can put you at ease immediately. In fact, any attorney who does not offer to sit down with you can and should be considered as impersonal and uncaring as the massive, heartless IRS. You want to be treated as a human being by another human being who understands that these situations happen to good people who work hard and sometimes and somehow just miss the mark.