OMAHA, NE - The IRS collected $104.1 billion through enforcement actions in fiscal year 2023, according to the IRS Data Book FY2023. A figure that reflects not just what taxpayers owed, but what the agency successfully seized when they didn't have professional representation. With IRS staffing and enforcement capacity continuing to expand under multi-year funding authorized through the Inflation Reduction Act, BPB Tax Resolutions is issuing a direct warning to individuals and business owners carrying unresolved tax debt: the window to negotiate from a position of strength is narrowing, and it closes faster than most people expect.
Key Facts The IRS collected $104.1 billion through enforcement in FY2023, including levies, liens, and seizures - IRS Data Book FY2023 The IRS National Taxpayer Advocate's 2023 Annual Report found that unrepresented taxpayers in collections achieved significantly worse outcomes than those with professional representation - Office of the Taxpayer Advocate, FY2023 Annual Report BPB Tax Resolutions has eliminated more than $1.2 million in client tax debt since its founding The firm negotiates settlements typically at 5-15% of the original debt owed BPB Tax Resolutions holds an A+ BBB rating Ben Butterfield, the firm's founder, is a certified tax resolution specialist ranking in the top 5% of his field nationally
The numbers are straightforward: the IRS isn't slowing down. The agency has added thousands of new enforcement personnel over the past two years, and its collection infrastructure, automated notices, wage garnishments, federal tax liens, doesn't require a human decision at every step. It's a machine. It runs on inaction. What most taxpayers don't know is that the IRS has specific relief programs. Offer in Compromise, Currently Not Collectible status, penalty abatement, installment agreements structured around actual ability to pay. That can legally stop collections and dramatically reduce what someone owes. These aren't loopholes. They're formal IRS programs most general tax preparers don't know how to access. Consider a typical case: a self-employed contractor falls two years behind on quarterly estimates, receives a series of escalating notices, and does nothing because the balance feels impossible. By the time a levy is issued, the IRS has compounding penalties and interest on top of the original liability. At that stage, the math gets harder. But it doesn't become impossible. That's the window BPB Tax Resolutions works in. The firm isn't offering generic advice. It's applying specific IRS resolution frameworks. Including Form 656 Offer in Compromise procedures and IRC §6343 levy release provisions. That require both technical knowledge and negotiating experience to execute correctly. Most tax preparers handle returns. That's a different job. Resolving an active collection case means understanding what the IRS can legally compel, what it can't, and where its own procedural rules create room to negotiate. That distinction determines whether someone pays 100 cents on the dollar or significantly less. Not every taxpayer qualifies for every program. Currently Not Collectible status, for example, applies to taxpayers who genuinely can't pay without falling below basic living expenses. It's not a strategy for everyone, and it doesn't erase the debt permanently. An Offer in Compromise can be rejected if the IRS calculates a taxpayer's reasonable collection potential as higher than the offer amount. These outcomes are real, and any firm that promises otherwise isn't being straight with you. What professional representation does guarantee is that you're not negotiating blind. And that you're not missing programs the IRS itself won't proactively tell you about.
Ben Butterfield, Certified Tax Resolution Specialist and Founder, BPB Tax Resolutions: "The IRS Data Book FY2023 shows $104 billion collected through enforcement. That's not revenue from tax returns, that's money taken from people who didn't have a resolution strategy in place. The agency doesn't send a letter hoping you'll call. It sends a letter starting a clock. Every day that passes without action is another day penalties compound and options close. The taxpayers who come out of this in the best position aren't the ones who panicked. They're the ones who stopped waiting and got someone in their corner who's already won this fight." Ben Butterfield, on the state of taxpayer representation: "The Taxpayer Advocate's own data shows that unrepresented taxpayers fare measurably worse in IRS collection cases. That's not a sales pitch. That's a government agency's internal report on outcomes. The IRS knows the programs that reduce what you owe. They're not required to tell you about them. That's the information gap we close in the first fifteen minutes of a Tax Health Assessment. And it costs taxpayers nothing to find out where they stand."
About BPB Tax Resolutions
BPB Tax Resolutions is a certified tax resolution specialist firm based in Omaha, Nebraska, helping individuals and business owners across all 50 states resolve IRS and state tax debt. Founded by Ben Butterfield. A top 5% certified tax resolution specialist and author on IRS resolution strategies. The firm has eliminated more than $1.2 million in client debt and holds an A+ BBB rating. BPB Tax Resolutions offers a free 15-minute Tax Health Assessment with no sales pressure and no obligation.
Media Contact Ben Butterfield, Founder & Certified Tax Resolution Specialist BPB Tax Resolutions ben@bpbtaxresolutions.com (402) 889-3228 https://bpbtaxresolutions.com/
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Company Name: BPB Tax Resolutions
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Website: https://bpbtaxresolutions.com/