IRS shuts down mom and pop dress shop, sells entire inventory within hours
Mii’s Bridal and Tuxedo, a Texas shop which was owned and operated by an elderly Thai couple, was raided and shut down by the IRS on Saturday after the couple allegedly evaded taxes.
According to Dallas News, the IRS claimed the couple intentionally made cash deposits just shy of the $10,000 limit in 2005, 2008 and 2010. The couple disputes owing the government money, which the IRS says totaled more than $30,000 before the raid and auction.
IRS asset seizures have been controversial before, and according to Reason, the IRS has seized $17 million in assets over the past two years from small businesses.
The Thangsongcharoen couple was asked to provide a $10,000 check to the IRS within two hours of the auction of their wedding gowns, which were valued at more than $615,000 according to the suit.
The lawsuit also claims that the IRS lowered the value of the assets to $6,000 so they could justify selling them rather than storing them, which would only be worthwhile for assets valuing above $10,000. This meant each dress was auctioned off with a reduced value of $4.
The auction sold all of Mii’s Bridal and Tuxedo’s asset in only four hours.
The couple, who established their business in 1983, sued the federal government in March for more than “$1.8 million” for seizing their assets without convicting them of a federal crime.