California Tax Defense — Santee, San Diego County
Santee Tax Attorney
I represent clients from Santee from my office in San Diego. Tax disputes — whether that’s an IRS audit, a federal tax lien, an FTB income tax problem, or an EDD payroll audit — are legal matters, and they respond to legal representation. Brotman Law has handled over 2,500 tax matters for individuals and businesses across San Diego County. If something’s landed in your mailbox and you want to understand what you’re actually dealing with, book a free 15-minute call.
What Tax Problems Look Like in Santee
Santee is a community of working families, trades businesses, and small to mid-size retailers and service companies. The tax problems I hear about from Santee clients tend to cluster around a few areas: IRS collection notices that went unaddressed, payroll tax debt from businesses that ran into cash flow trouble, FTB income tax disputes, and sales tax audits from the CDTFA.
The pattern I see most often is that people wait. They receive a notice, they’re not sure what it means, and by the time they call an attorney, the IRS has moved further down the collection chain. The earlier you get legal representation, the more options you have.
I’m Sam Brotman — J.D., LL.M. in Taxation, California Bar No. 274966. More about Brotman Law’s San Diego tax practice.
IRS Issues We Handle for Santee Clients
IRS tax debt doesn’t go away on its own. The IRS has a 10-year Collection Statute Expiration Date (CSED) running from the date of assessment — but in the meantime, interest and failure-to-pay penalties compound on the balance, and collection actions (liens, levies, wage garnishments) are available to the IRS from early in the process.
We handle:
- CP2000 automated underreporter notices
- IRS correspondence audits and field examinations
- Federal tax liens — filing, subordination, discharge, and withdrawal
- IRS levies on bank accounts, wages, and other assets
- Collection Due Process (CDP) hearings under IRC § 6320 and § 6330
- Installment agreements and partial-pay installment agreements
- Offers in Compromise — doubt as to collectibility and effective tax administration
- Currently not collectible (CNC) status requests
- Trust fund recovery penalty (TFRP) defense
- Tax Court petitions and IRS Appeals representation
One thing I want to be specific about: if you’ve received a Notice of Deficiency (90-day letter), you have 90 days to file a Tax Court petition. If you’re past that and the assessment is final, your options shift — but they don’t disappear. Call us and let’s figure out where you are.
FTB and California State Tax Defense
The California Franchise Tax Board is one of the most aggressive state tax collection agencies in the country. It can garnish wages, levy bank accounts, place liens on real property, and suspend business licenses — all without first going to court. If you’ve received an FTB demand or a Notice of Proposed Assessment, that’s the start of a formal dispute.
We represent Santee clients in:
- FTB income tax audits — desk and field
- FTB collection holds and release of liens and levies
- FTB protest hearings and appeals to the Office of Tax Appeals (OTA)
- EDD payroll tax audits and worker classification disputes
- CDTFA sales and use tax audits and redetermination petitions
EDD audits are particularly relevant for Santee trades and contracting businesses. If you’ve been using subcontractors and EDD questions whether they should have been classified as employees, the back-tax exposure can be significant. Getting ahead of a reclassification dispute with solid documentation is far better than fighting it after the assessment issues.
Criminal Tax Defense
Criminal tax cases are investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation (CI), a separate division from the civil examination and collection functions. If a special agent calls or shows up — or if you’ve received a grand jury subpoena — the situation is qualitatively different from an audit. Your communications with an attorney are privileged. Your communications with your accountant are not.
I hold an LL.M. in Taxation. If you are under investigation or believe you might be, contact me before you speak with anyone else.
Getting Started from Santee
The first call is 15 minutes, free, no obligation. I’ll tell you what I think your situation actually is and what your realistic options look like. My office is at 12636 High Bluff Drive, Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92130. Phone: 619-378-3138. Most work is handled remotely.