Why We Solve Tax Problems—Patrick Cox, TaxMasters

I’ve been asked by a friend to go back to the beginning and explain a bit about how TaxMasters got its start. I guess you could say it started way before I even thought about it, back in 1998. Honestly, I didn’t set out to create a business that helps people solve tax problems and fight tax penalties. When I graduated from Texas A&M University in 1986, having already passed the CPA exam, I was just hungry to find a decent job and get my life started. I worked at a couple of different accounting firms in Houston, Texas over the next years and then got hired on with Kemper in the early 90s. I worked for Kemper Insurance Companies in various US locations and advanced through their ranks over the next decade, finally winding up in a role as Vice President of Finance. When my division was relocated to Florida, I decided to bow out and go see if I could make a go of it on my own. I moved back to Houston and opened a CPA firm shortly thereafter.

I started out just trying to help people prepare good tax returns, and I was pretty good at that. Like everyone in my line of work, I had watched closely as the IRS hearings of the mid ‘90s unfolded. And like most other CPAs, I had plenty of anecdotal evidence of IRS abuses. Then came RRA ’98.

RRA ’98

In direct response to congressional hearings where IRS abuses were revealed through testimony, congress and President Clinton enacted the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 (RRA ’98). RRA ‘98 changed the way the IRS is allowed by law to treat taxpayers. Considering all I knew about the IRS, I remember thinking that this new law, while full of good intentions, would never be enough to truly protect taxpayers.

Solving a Single Tax Problem Opened the Door

After reviewing RRA ’98 and going through the next few tax cycles, it became abundantly clear to me that the IRS was not holding up their end of the new bargain. No surprise there. Old habits die hard. IRS agents were still harassing, still assessing unwarranted tax penalties, and still using many of their same old tactics to collect revenue. Only after I fought for and earned a sizeable reduction in taxes owed for a dear friend and client, did I realize that RRA ’98 might just give us the leverage we would need to help others successfully fight the IRS. I was still skeptical, but as we took on more cases—and won more favorable outcomes—we quickly learned how to use the IRS’ rules to combat an ever-increasing list of specific tax problems. By the end of 2003, we knew there was no tax problem or tax penalty too great to take on.

TaxMasters—A Way to Help People in Trouble with the IRS

Thus began TaxMasters, a new entity unrelated to the old firm, which I sold off shortly thereafter. Since our meager start, TaxMasters has grown from being a local small business into a nationally recognized tax representation firm. We have grown tremendously in just a few short years. We hire the best tax consultants we can find and back them up with ex-IRS agents, tax attorneys, and incredibly sharp tax preparers and case coordinators to get as fair a deal as we can for our valued customers. TaxMasters will employ over 200 people in the Houston area by the end of this year, all of whom are dedicated to assisting the hundreds of taxpayers who contact us monthly in their effort to fight unfair tactics used by the IRS.

Call TaxMasters if You Think You Might Have a Tax Problem

As always, if the IRS has contacted you, even by correspondence, call us immediately. The tax professionals at TaxMasters are here to help. Call us at (866) 694-4018 or go to www.txmstr.com.

Until you need us,

Pat Cox