LETTERS

Regarding the story “IRS is willing to cut you some slack,” Jan. 11:

Hey, I must admit, the IRS may not be the bad guys most of us have been inclined to believe. With the souring economy and just about everything traveling in a southerly direction, the IRS has been accommodating to help taxpayers who are financially strapped.

The IRS staff has been instructed to be sensitive and flexible to people who can’t pay their taxes with the intent that something can be worked out if they call the IRS for help.

I wonder if the IRS had been this sensitive back in 1931 to the infamous Al Capone when he was found guilty of income tax evasion. Oh wait a minute, he was one of these guys who refused to pay his taxes.

So it appears that to get on the good side of the IRS, we need to do the right thing, which means filing a tax return, then calling them for help. Hey, sounds reasonable to me.

Bill Spitalnick

Newport Beach