Never Doubt Alan Thicke: Fresh Start Tax Program Is Real

I am sorry I doubted you, Alan Thicke

Like many people, I have a healthy skepticism for infomercials or to-good-to-be-true schemes, so when I kept hearing Alan Thicke – famous for the 1980′s show "Growing Pains," marrying a Miss World, and the real life dad to pop star Robin Thicke – pitch a tax forgiveness program, I dismissed it. I assumed it was probably another borderline-legal payday loan scheme, reverse mortgage concoction, or debt forgiveness system which prey on fiscally at-risk and naive.

The pitch was about a "Fresh Start Program" offered by the IRS which, it turns out, is a real thing. The basic tenants of the program are to allow for taxpayers to satisfy their back taxes and avoid tax liens on their property. There are three main elements to the program: first, the IRS will, in many cases, hold off on filing a Notice of Federal Tax Lien on amounts up to $10,000.00 which means a delay in the IRS attempts at collection. Secondly, the taxpayer can have up