Our Story

Why I left the boardroom to serve the people who keep this city running.

I'm John Gilmore, an Enrolled Agent admitted to practice before the IRS under Circular 230. That status means I personally respond to IRS notices, defend you during examinations, and carry the conversations so you do not have to stand alone if an audit shows up.

Our Story

The Ballgame

I started building C Street Tax when I noticed the outfield fence at my son’s Little League game. The fence was peppered with sponsor banners—real estate agents, salons, local auto shops—the community I was missing in my work as a finance executive. I worked with investors and CEOs in boardrooms, moving money around for projects that didn’t make sense when I tried to explain them to the landscapers and dentists coaching my son’s team. I realized I wanted to work for them—the ones with the real jobs. And now I do.

The Edge

Meanwhile, creators on the edge always found me: a Portland dominatrix-DJ I met under an actual bridge, a touring guitarist juggling royalties, an OF performer several years behind on filing taxes, an award-winning podcaster negotiating rights and payments. They needed help with problems they assumed the finance guy could solve, so I started building for them, too.

Who We Serve

Now I run a tax firm for real estate agents and strippers and everybody who ever considered being either. I serve local owners who give the city its texture and the edge creators who keep culture from collapsing into the mean. It’s just a tax firm—it’s not that interesting. But you should build the interesting thing. I’ll make sure deadlines and penalties don’t eat it.

See our services

“When I moved to Vancouver, C Street downtown is where I made my very first friends. When the pandemic hit, I was on C Street, helping dozens of small business clients navigate unprecedented challenges as a bookkeeper. And C Street is where I now live, work, and raise my family.”

John Gilmore

Founder, C Street Accounting & Tax

Our Principles

Face reality

Start with what is, not what you wish it were. See clearly, then act.

Choose responsibility

Own your commitments. Carry the weight you can carry. Become someone others can rely on.

Tell the truth

Speak plainly. Honor reality with your words—especially when it’s uncomfortable.

Build community

Invest in the people around you. Strong families, teams, and neighborhoods make life worth living.

Learn more about what we can do for you

I do what I do for my family.

Let’s get started