In 2009, Entrepreneur.com listed Roni Deutch Tax Center as one of the fastest growing franchise companies in the country.
[4] There are currently around 80 Roni Deutch Tax Center locations in 23 U.S. states, with a concentration in California, Nevada, and Arizona.
The firm's specialty is facilitating settlements in the IRS programs Offer in Compromise, Installment Agreement, and Currently Not Collectible.
[13] The film focuses in on the American taxation system and several stories of individual taxpayers who when overwhelmed by the debt and IRS collection tactics, took drastic steps - including even suicide - in response.
[16] New York City Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) brought a lawsuit charging Deutch with misleading advertisements that allegedly fail to include key eligibility requirements in order to resolve back taxes with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) under its Offer in Compromise program.
The Offer in Compromise program enables taxpayers to resolve debts by entering into an agreement with the IRS for reduced payments, in which a majority of people do not qualify – a fact allegedly not evident in the Deutch advert.
[17] On August 23, 2010, the office of the Attorney General of California announced that it would be filing a $34 million lawsuit against Deutch for allegedly "orchestrating a 'heartless scheme' that swindled thousands of people facing serious and expensive tax collection problems with the IRS.
Per the terms of the settlement, the state of California withdrew its criminal contempt of court charges and dismissed its civil lawsuit.