A 73-year-old Gravette man was hit with a lawsuit from the IRS seeking a judgment for unpaid federal taxes.
The amount the IRS is seeking against Lester R. Ramer?
$1,294,255.
The money owed is for the tax years 2001-02 and 2006-09.
Ramer challenged his 2002 tax year amount in U.S. Tax Court in Washington, but with no luck.
In 2009, the tax court ruled favor of the IRS and found Ramer owed $381,190, for 2002.
Adding in all the penalties and interest along with it, brings the grand total due to $1.1 million, according to the filing in U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.
Ramer told Whispers that his beef with the IRS stemmed from not being allowed to deduct what he believed were business-related items.
Before his retirement, he owned Petra Stone, which manufactured precast veneer stone.
These days, Ramer and his wife, Mary L. Ramer, are on Social Security. She also is a named defendant in the case.
“I have no other source of income,” Ramer said. “I’m retired, and I can’t find supplemental income because of my health.”
He said he got Lyme disease in 2009.
He also said he doesn’t have the money to hire an attorney. And liens have been slapped against his property. So if he sold them, the IRS would get the money.
“We’re just caught between a rock and hard spot,” Ramer said.
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