After 32 years of IRS work — and more than $100 million in resolved tax debt — I've seen just about every version of the problem you're dealing with. I'm Darrin Mish, a tax attorney in Tampa. Here's what you should know.
Little House on the Prairie actress, Melissa Gilbert finds herself in tango with the IRS. The Internal Revenue Service recently accused Gilbert, 51, of failing to pay federal income taxes for 2011, 2012 and 2013. The three year total exceeds $360,000. According to the IRS, Gilbert owes $219,989 in income taxes from 2011. She is reported to owe $99,405 in taxes from 2012, and $41,157 from 2013. On February 3, the IRS filed a tax lien in the amount of $360,551 against Gilbert. The tax lien gives the government legal claim to all of Gilbert’s assets to include income, homes, and automobiles.
Gilbert’s most recent television work is when she appeared on “Dancing With The Stars” in 2012 finishing fifth place. Gilbert credits her limited acting opportunities, the economy and a previous divorce for her current debts.”Like so many people across the nation, the recession hit me hard. That, plus a divorce and a dearth of acting opportunities the last few years, created a perfect storm of financial difficulty for me,” Gilbert is quoted in a statement in The Detroit News.
Gilbert has since remarried fellow actor, Tom Busfield. The two recently decided to move out of a rented home they share with two young sons in Howell, Michigan. The tax news arrived one week on the heels of the announcement of the move. The family of four will forge a fresh start in a log cabin somewhere within the vastness of Livingston County in an undisclosed location. It is described in Gilbert’s twitter message as: “our own Little House in the Big Woods”.
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