I can relate. I recently decided to avoid another BK, and I'm tied up in $2-3k monthly tax payments (in my case they'll probably go up in time).
One thing that the 13 would have given me is an end to the interest on tax debt and forcing the tax agencies to a livable monthly payment. What worried me most is the structure and my families' ability to work within structure for such an extended period of time (5 years for you and me both). Looking several years out and seeing college expenses coming, the better option for me was to earn more and wiggle my way through as best I can.
Oddly, the IRS gave me a workable monthly payment out of the blue. The state is not so easy, and it's currently giving me insomnia, but I'm hoping we get a resolution this month or early next. Having issues with both the state and the irs was a real problem - with neither willing to agree to a payment plan first for 2 years.
While I am paying more in interest, I am not paying the percentage that the trustee would have received. And I have financial flexibility that gives me both the incentive and capability to earn more.
Time will tell if this turned out to be a good decision. If I end up going without work at some point in the next 4 1/2 years it will probably have been a bad one. (At least with BK there's a fixed time limit. Going this route, if I go without work, the collection SOL is stayed). If I _can_ pay for the first year of college in 3 years, it'll be a good one. That will likely require a loan, but taking out a loan to support an 18 year old when you are in the middle of a BK13 is not something my lawyer thought was going to be likely.
