He tried to return the government’s money. The government sent him a bill.
Now country star and Trump Administration landowner envoy John Rich says he is stepping in to help 76-year-old Tennessee farmer Wilson Perry Kirby escape a yearslong IRS nightmare.
Kirby, a retired Montgomery County Highway Department worker, received an unexpected $20,000 federal tax refund on May 10, 2022. He believed the check was a mistake and immediately enlisted his accountant to return the money.
“I didn’t make a mistake, my accountant didn’t make a mistake,” Kirby said. “They made a mistake.”
Returning the money did not end the dispute.
Kirby says the IRS later assessed interest tied to the mistaken refund and eventually withheld his entire 2025 tax refund. Additional notices continued arriving, including one in July warning of possible collection action if the disputed balance remained unpaid.
“Oh, I cried,” Kirby said after learning his refund had been taken.
Enter Rich, whom Trump appointed special envoy for American landowners.
“This AIN’T happening,” Rich wrote in the update provided. “I’m all over this one.”
Rich vowed that he “will drop a damn HAMMER on this situation as soon I can talk with him.”
Yea, this AIN'T happening…I'm all over this one. If any of my TN friends can connect me with this man, please put me in contact with him immediately. I'm overseas, but will drop a damn HAMMER on this situation as soon I can talk with him. Hit me in the comments if you know him. https://t.co/fKmcEhgIZl
— John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) July 24, 2026
The intervention could finally give Kirby the single point of contact he has spent years seeking.
Kirby reportedly contacted multiple government officials and later met with the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service in Nashville. He said none of those efforts produced an immediate or lasting resolution.
Rich posted another update on Friday.
I just spoke with Mr Kirby and his CPA, and confirmed all the details are correct, and this travesty began in the Biden era. I've made contact with the current top officials at the IRS and made them aware. We should have this resolved very soon. I'll keep you posted. GitRDone🇺🇸 https://t.co/ihI4gXbK2U
— John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) July 24, 2026
