...I started out with a couple of those tax relief agencies until I relized [sic] they were only increasing there [sic] bottom line so I fired them and came across LH [losthorizons.com] and have been studying every [sic] since.
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Waiting until there are very few, if any, options to pursue to contest or settle the tax debt can make it difficult for the representative to be able to achieve any result that the client is able to afford or is willing to accept.
Unfortunately, there are firms that will accept a retainer or collect fees and make promises they can not keep without ever informing the client of the options available and the limits of what can be done. Even more unfortunate is that some of those firms are the most prolific advertisers on television and radio and seem to be the most accessed type of representation for many.
Once that firm does little or nothing to resolve, or even explain, the position the debtor is in; the individual may then try to grasp at anything that holds out some apparent hope (no matter how slim) for resolving the tax debt and will not pursue the actions that may have remained to contest or settle the tax debt with another representative that would honestly address the client's situation and give accurate information.
Not sure what the solution may be; but this scenario can be a contributing factor to some not getting what help may have been useful to them.
Just one man's opinion; yours may vary significantly.
“Where there is an income tax, the just man will pay more and the unjust less on the same amount of income.” — Plato