Having an income tax debt can be distressing because the power of the government is behind IRS collection efforts. The reality is the time to reduce a tax debt is long before the annual tax statement is filed. A tax attorney or professional can usually show taxpayers and business owners many legal ways to reduce a potential liability. The key is to do tax planning well in advance. Some people don't like the thought of making financial strictly decisions based on tax regulations, but it can save taxpayers a lot of money. But even if you find yourself with a sizable debt, there are a number of ways to either get the debt reduced or establish reasonable payment schedules. Ignoring IRS collection efforts is never advisable. That seems obvious and yet millions do just that thing. There is a Taxpayer Bill of Rights that prevents the IRS from taking unreasonable collection action and requires that the IRS work in a fair manner with taxpayers. The bill was originally passed in 1989 and has been expanded twice since then with each revision giving more rights to taxpayers. For example, this act generally prohibits taking a personal residence to settle a tax debt except in very unusual circumstances. The best advice you can follow is to get help as soon as possible when working with the IRS to settle an income tax debt.