Rating: 
Summary: Oddly Compelling
Review: Admit it. You think this book is probably pretty boring. Tax Collector? Well, I assure you, it is certainly not boring; rather, it is an oddly compelling read that I just couldn't put down. (And no one is more shocked about that than I am!) Richard Yancey worked for 12 years as a revenue officer for the IRS collecting (or at least attempting to collect) unpaid employment taxes from small businesses. It was an interesting, challenging and sometimes grueling job for Yancey. Yancey's story is an interesting read for many reasons. First, he is an excellent writer. Second, the story he has to tell is interesting. His co-workers were a collection of colorful souls, all flawed, none of them the straight-laced, buttoned up type. Yancey also structures the story well and doesn't bore us with any memoir-style introspection. The book is paced well. Enjoy this one, despite any reservations you may have.
Rating: 
Summary: A wry, amusing first novel
Review: An online book club first introduced me to this book - I read a few pages of it every day for a week and that teaser drew me in to buying the book. The author is unforgiving of himself, but gentle on others, especially the taxpayers he seeks to collect money from. He truly seems guilty and frustrated about his time with the IRS.Confessions of a Tax Collector: masterfully written, honest, poignant, an excellent read. I hope to see more from Mr. Yancey in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: not cut out for a job at the IRS
Review: As a retired 30-year Revenue Officer (tax collector) with the IRS, I can't agree with the majority of the descriptions of IRS office culture offered by Mr. Yancey. I worked in a number of offices across the nation... and became acquainted with many many decent IRS employees, as well as thousands of disgruntled tax delinquents. Like any job, that of the tax collector is what you make it... you can be dissatisfied and mean, or you can be kind and still get the job done. Like any book about the "mean old IRS", people will read the book to find sensationalist issues. Any organization has "rogue employees", and IMO at the IRS, these persons are in the minority.
Rating: 
Summary: Lame, foul and uninformative
Review: As a tax accountant that is licensed by the IRS, I had certain expectations from this book, none of which were met. I was hoping for a true expose on the inner workings of the IRS, and instead I was punished with a screed from an arrogant, foul mouthed egomaniac. The entire book is just "me, me, me!" with a little of his job description and activities thrown in. Halfway through the book I was thinking that this guy was a real jerk and that I wouldn't feel too bad if he ever got hit by a car. He starts out admitting that he was a loser his entire life, then found the IRS where he came into his own - being a bully. He takes great pride in the skill with which he pushes taxpayers around and elevates himself to the position of "demigod" (his words). It was easy to see where he would go at the beginning of each story, and near the end I just had to laugh when he describes two events that try to make him out as a good person. He claims that he finally decided to seize a woman's house, but then decides to shred the whole file, attempting to show that he has a shred of compassion or conscience left. Of course, this is just after he saves a strangers dog from certain death. Mother Teresa, move over, here comes Rev. Officer Rick Yancey! This book was a waste of time and money.
Rating:
Summary: Hard to put down
Review: Being a professional tax preparer for twenty years, I was particularly interested in reading about the experiences of a tax collector working for the IRS. Mr. Vance did a great job writing the book, telling his story. It gives you some terrific insight in what the IRS was really about during the years represented in this story. It also gives you a better understanding of how important it is to be wise in how you manage your tax affairs.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I've read in 2004
Review: Enjoyed this book, REALLY enjoyed this book. Rather than a rustling collection of dry facts it is a ongoing account of a man's life starting at a job interview filled with the desperate conniving's of the college BA who has been a total loser on his career quest. The job of course is at the IRS, and the characters are not deeply drawn but vivid, recognizable, and doing things to people that no one wants done to them. Woven into the series of liens levies and seizures are coworkers' infidelities, foibles, little triumphs and tragedies. Occasional visits with his mentor are words of wisdom from the Yoda of bureaucratic infighting and survival. There is an endless stream of those who are not being good taxpayers and have gotten tangled up with the wrong side of the IRS bureaucracy as a result, sometimes pitiable, sometimes not. The story doesn't offer a "how-to" in terms of dealing with the IRS, instead it is a story of one man's dealing with his life, learning lessons along the way, and I laughed as I read. Not deep, not heavy, not enlightening, but fun, quick moving, and hard to put down. Would probably make a good movie or short-lived TV sitcom.
Rating:
Summary: You don't want this guy at your door
Review: Excellent 1st person narrative of the growth of an IRS revenue officer. He's the guy the IRS sends when all else has failed. If you don't respond to their letter, calls, or in person attempts... This guy shows up. Not good news for the debtor.
Although these are people that have refused to pay, or couldn't pay their taxes, you certainly see cases are not always clear-cut. The human aspect of collection means balancing "feeding the beast" (IRS) versus your own heart. This tug of war is well demonstrated.
Rick Yancey details his development from newbie to the "perfect revenue officer". His tails of mentors and coworkers are just as interesting as his dealings with deadbeats. Ultimately you'll see not only his work, but also how it affects his everyday life and relationships.
Rating:
Summary: yes, a book about taxes can be hilarious entertainment
Review: I bought this book because it was on amazon.com's list of Top Ten Editor's Picks for 2004. Having read it, I can now easily understand how it made that list. This book is absolutely hilarious, from its opening pages describing Yancey's surrealistic job interview, to the end. Yancey is a gifted writer, with a talent for making characters larger-than-life. As just one example, William Culpepper, Yancey's mentor at the IRS, rivals Lt. Kilgore in Apocalypse Now (the character of "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" fame) as a leader whose insanity starts to make a bizarre sort of sense in an insane situation. The passage describing the woman who was so desperate to hide their tax troubles from her husband that she called Yancey back pretending to be the husband was alone worth the cost of the book.
Here's how good this book is: It made me want to change careers and be a tax collector. And anybody who can engender sympathy for the IRS (the IRS!!!) is a darned good writer worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting look into a strange world
Review: I enjoyed this book because it gave me a look into the world of an IRS revenue officer. I had never really thought very much about why people took these jobs or what they were like, but this author provided a well painted picture of his experience as a revenue officer. He seemed to be a little off center and the job placed him with coworkers who also were kind of strange. But, becoming good at the work and making a decent living at it gave Yancey a platform to grow into a person who could excel at a job and pursue personal growth in body building and romance. I thought the author did a good job in describing his quirky coworkers and the battles he had to fight to collect revenue from delinquent taxpayers. He learned to play the game he had to play to succeed in his job and he used his job to form a relationship that enriched his life. If you have any interest in how things work inside the IRS, I think you'll find this book to be well worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I've read in 2004
Review: I found this book to be very interesting. I probably got through the book in about a week. It almost ends too soon, I wish it had been a little bit longer. The writing and editing of this book was extremely good. Each chapter explains a different aspect of the author's experience with the IRS, and it was really interesting to read about his transformations throughout the book. In a way, I can even see it as an inspirational book, providing readers with optimism that they too can be transformed from unloving relationships, conniving co-workers, and difficult circumstances by discovering the POWER inside of you and using it to get what you want in life. The best book I've read this year.
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