Tax Debt and Having Your Passport Taken Away

Congress granted the IRS the power to revoke passports in December 2015.  The process is cumbersome and bureaucratic because it involves both the IRS and the State Department.  Since the State Department is responsible for issuing and taking away passports, the IRS must certify a tax debt and then pass that information to the State Department, which will go through its process to revoke or deny renewal of a passport. Under the law, if you owe more than $51,000 to the IRS, then you could lose your passport. This program does not inspire confidence: here is an unelected bureaucracy (the IRS), which is not always transparent or competent, meddling in the freedom of international travel. The Tax Advocate and others have criticized the program. While I have seen IRS collection notices that warn the taxpayer’s passport is at risk, I have not yet heard of anyone who has actually had their passport revoked for unpaid tax.  However, the IRS website warned…

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