IRS Says Lakewood Woman Owes $43 Million In Taxes
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - Just days away from tax day a woman in Lakewood received a notice from the IRS saying she owes $43 million.
Joyce Buckland told CBS4 she logged into her computer to pay her taxes and thought her eyes were playing tricks.
"I had a little bit of back taxes -- a small amount. And I went in to do this payment, and my statement said that I owed over $43 million."
The IRS statement stated the total owed was $43,547,212.73. The service fee alone was just shy of a million.
"That's insane. I have never seen that much money in all of my life. All my friends together and I couldn't possibly come up with something like that," she said.
The adjunct history professor says she laughed and refreshed her screen, but the multi-million dollar bill hadn't budged.
"I know there had to be obviously some kind of crazy something going on. Because I mean who owes that kind of taxes? I bet Donald Trump doesn't even pay that much money, you know?"
She called the IRS, only to be told it was likely a computer glitch that should rectify itself once she made her standard payment.
"I was a little leery to do that. I don't want to acknowledge a debt. It's not mine," she said.
She's still waiting, and says her next step is to go to the IRS in person.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would owe $43 million to anybody. Ever," she said.
According to the IRS Taxpayer Bill of Rights, you should write to or call the IRS if you think there's an error on your bill. Provide copies of all records, and if you're correct, they will adjust your account.
