In a lengthy article on low-income tax debt contributed to USA Today by the Center for Public Integrity, Professor Robert Nassau weighs in on the difference between negotiating debt with the IRS versus New York state.
“The IRS is very reasonable at dealing with lower-income taxpayers who have tax debts,” says Nassau, director of the Sherman F. Levey 57, L’59 Low Income Taxpayer Clinic. “They’re very understanding of people’s circumstances. Compared to the IRS, the New York State Department of [Taxation and] Finance is the devil. The state wants to be a lot more aggressive than the federal government.”