On September 8th, 1916, Congress introduced the estate tax, essentially declaring that dying shouldn’t get you out of paying taxes. So if you thought your relatives would be the only ones fighting over your grandma’s china, think again: Uncle Sam gets first pick.

And now, this week’s lineup:

• So, you got an IRS letter … now what?: First of all, don’t panic.

• Why we pay taxes (besides the obvious fear of prison): It’s not all bad. Sometimes it even pays for things you like.

• Chesty Love vs. the IRS: The tax court case where a stripper’s … investments … became deductible. 

What the Letter Might Actually Mean

Not all IRS letters are created equal. Some are gentle nudges, others are more like sternly worded “let’s chat” memos. The key is knowing what exactly you’re looking at, and what it’s asking for.

Some usual suspects:

• CP2000 - This one will usually show up when the income you reported doesn’t match what your employer or bank reported.

• CP14 - This is the “you owe us money” letter. It usually includes the amount due, interest added, and a due date.

• LT11 - This one is a final notice of intent to levy. It’s the IRS’s way of saying, “Pay up, or we might start collecting from wages or bank accounts.”

• CP3219A - Also known as a Notice of Deficiency. The IRS did the math for you (how sweet of them), and they think you owe more than you reported. You can agree or challenge it, but you have a deadline.

Is It Even Legit?

Before you spiral, let’s make sure the letter you just received is actually from the IRS and not from some guy named “Brad” running scams out of a basement in Tallahassee.  Here’s how to tell if what you got is the real deal:

• It came by mail. The IRS doesn’t email, text, or slide into your DMs. If you got it digitally and weren’t expecting it, toss it.

• It has official branding. Look for the Department of the Treasury seal, a notice or letter number (usually in the top right corner), and a barcoded return address.

• The notice number matches the IRS format. CP2000, CP14, LT11, and CP3219A are all legit options.

• You can always verify it online. The IRS has a search tool at irs.gov where you can look up notice numbers and see what they mean, straight from the source.

Remember, the IRS won’t demand payments via gift cards or Bitcoin. If something feels off, cross-check it on the IRS website or call the IRS directly using the number listed at irs.gov/help/let-us-help-you.

Want to know what to do (besides cry into your coffee) if you get a letter?

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Why We Pay Taxes (Besides the Obvious Fear of Prison)

Paying taxes feels like subscribing to a streaming service that you never really wanted, except instead of endless true crime and reruns, you get potholes filled and garbage picked up.

And unlike that free trial you forgot to cancel, this one comes with legal consequences if you ghost it.       

Still, while the threat of prison is a powerful motivator, it’s not the only reason we fork over a chunk of our paycheck to the government. Taxes are what make society continue to function normally.                                                              

Taxes: The Original Unwanted Subscription Service  

Taxes have been around longer than indoor plumbing; the first record of them appearing in Ancient Egypt dates back to around 3000 BC. Ancient civilizations taxed salt, windows, and even urine (thanks, Rome). 

Today, it’s your income, your purchases, and your property. And no, you don’t get to opt out unless you’re also opting out of streetlights, police, public schools, and Medicare when your knees start making that “crunchy” sound.

Yes, it’s annoying. Yes, it’s complicated (sometimes overly so). But it’s also how we collectively keep the lights on.               

Where Does Your Money Go?

The Federal Budget Breakdown (aka, How You Share the Pizza)

Mmm…taxes. Nobody wants to share their pizza, especially not with the government. But here we are, divvying up your hard-earned dough. Try not to cry into your pepperoni.

Roughly half of that tax pie goes to Social Security and Medicare, helping Grandma stay in her home and filling those prescriptions that cost more than your rent.

Around 12-15% support national defense, and a surprisingly large slice covers interest on national debt, which is like paying your credit card bill forever because you financed a whole country.

The rest gets divvied up between education, healthcare, infrastructure, and public safety.           

State and Local Taxes: Closer to Home

These are the unsung heroes of your everyday life. Property taxes fund things like your neighborhood schools. Sales taxes help cover emergency services like police and fire departments, trash collection, roads, and that one park down the street you love, with that squeaky but endearing swingset. 

Okay, but … why not make Elon Musk and all those other rich guys pay?

Ah, the age-old question. Before we all grab our pitchforks, let's look at what's actually going on with billionaire taxes.

Think of the tax world as a jungle. Some companies just hand you a map. TaxQuotes is the guide who shows up with a machete.

They skip the jargon and focus on a simple plan: solve your problem, save you money, and actually talk to you like a human being. If you're dealing with IRS problems or are tired of unreliable tax pros, they can help.

Click here for a free consultation and start your financial comeback tour.

The Case of the 10-Pound Boobs: How the IRS Let Chesty Love Depreciate Her Implants

There are very few stories in the annals of tax law that include international freak-show fame, 20 pounds of silicone, and the phrase “depreciation of implants.”

But then again, there’s only one Chesty Love.

It all begins not with a scandal, but with a business decision, albeit one that required a surgeon, an agent with a penchant for spectacle, and a woman willing to, quite literally, carry the weight of her career on her chest.

Scene One: Enter the Performer (and Her Agent with a Big Idea)

In the mid-1980s, Cynthia Hess performed on the nightclub circuit as an exotic dancer under the name “Tonda Marie.” She made enough to get by, around $750 a week.

Then came her agent, with the sort of idea that only two kinds of people ever have: marketing geniuses or complete lunatics.

Her pitch? Go big. Surgically. Enter: breast implants. 

The first set gave her a gentle upgrade, but the second launched her career. By 1988, Cynthia reemerged as “Chesty Love,” endowed with a 56FF bustline that defied biology and physics.

Her income shot up to over $55,000 a year. Bookings doubled. Gravity wept.  

Scene Two: Slip, Fall, and Rupture

But with great cleavage comes great liability.

In a tragic twist, Cynthia slipped on ice, fell, and ruptured one of her implants. The aftermath resulted in not only bruised pride but a hospital stay, infection, and the temporary removal of her not-so-secret weapons.

Unable to work for much of 1989, Cynthia watched her income deflate just as fast as her chest had.     

Scene Three: Bigger, Freakier, and TV Famous

After recovering, Cynthia did what any resilient entrepreneur would do: she went even bigger (56N).

She was now officially a spectacle, including being a regular on Howard Stern, Sally Jessy Raphael, and Tokyo Nippon’s annual “Freakiest People” television special.

Her bustline was measured on international television. If nothing else, she’d turned her body into a fully monetized brand. 

The stage was set. Her assets were on the line. Now, see how Chesty’s legal team made their case to a stunned courtroom.

The quick (and slightly prickly) stories we didn’t have time to get to:

• Find out the latest on whether a new round of stimulus checks could be coming from the IRS this month.

• To protest a surprise property tax hike, a New Jersey man breakdanced his way through a town hall meeting before asking why his bill went up nearly $900.

• Insurance giant Northwestern Mutual is taking the IRS to court over a $23 million tax bill for meals provided to its employees.

• You can now voluntarily opt in to get an Identity Protection PIN from the IRS to help protect yourself from tax-related identity theft.

Think you're a tax whiz? Prove it with our trivia question below.