Color me surprised (hat tip to Drudge)

As a deep recession strips Americans of their jobs, homes and investments, the 2009 U.S. tax season promises to see a large uptick in first-time delinquent income taxpayers.

“Our calls are up 280 percent,” said Richard Boggs, founder and chief executive of Los Angeles-based Nationwide Tax Relief, a firm that helps delinquent taxpayers resolve tax issues.

“We’ve seen a huge rise in what we call the rookie delinquent taxpayer,” he said. “They are incredibly scared, and they have no idea what’s going to happen to them because, God bless them, they’ve never owed before.”…

With household balance sheets under pressure, more U.S. households are having trouble keeping up with their day-to-day bills and struggling to pay their taxes.

“Folks are not paying their taxes because they are spending it on necessary living expenses,” said Kristin Lavieri, an accountant with Weinstein & Anastasio, PC in Hamden, Connecticut.

I’ve got an idea: Let’s have the government spend more than it ever did in history and then raise taxes. That’ll ‘stimulate’ the economy (to death)!

But don’t worry, Washington sympathizes:

The Internal Revenue Service, which collects taxes in the United States, vowed to show its gentler side this year.

“We recognize the economic realities that are out there,” IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman told reporters. “We’re available to work with people.”

That’s kind, of course. But why don’t lawmakers consider truly “working with people” by cutting taxes? It’s insanity. The recession is hitting people so hard that they have trouble paying their taxes. At the same time, the government is spending much more money than it has, which means that taxes will (eventually) have to be raised. If not, the U.S. will simply go bankrupt.

It’s time for some fiscal sanity. Don’t bring yourself in a situation in which you’ll make it even more difficult for people to get by.