Tax Relief Lawyers in Athens

"Tax relief" in Athens, Alabama can refer to a wide range of subjects. However, it almost always refers to lowering the tax liability, either of an individual, or a group of people.

When a government official or politician talks about "tax relief," they are typically talking about a tax cut, which is a reduction in a particular tax rate.

But, many members of the general public, especially in recent years, associate "tax relief" with businesses or individuals who claim they can lower your tax liability - typically advertising on the Internet or the radio. These advertisements frequently claim that they have skilled lawyers and negotiators who can help you get out of your duty to pay taxes. While many of these organizations are legitimate, and are actually interested in helping their clients, a substantial percentage of "tax relief" organizations in Alabama are scams.

Tax Relief Scams in Athens, Alabama

Some con-artists in Athens, Alabama say that they have some distinct technique that permits you to reduce the amount of taxes you're legally obliged to pay, or that they can erase any tax debt that you have incurred.

In most cases, however, these people have absolutely no legal means to truly help their "clients" ("victims" is the more accurate term), and will simply take your money and disappear. Fortunately, these scams in Athens, Alabama typically have a few elements that are dead giveaways, which you should always be on the look out for if you're considering hiring someone offering "tax relief."

One of the biggest warning signs that one should look for is an unequivocal promise that someone can eliminate your tax debt. This is simply not a promise that anyone can honestly make. While the IRS does have programs to advise people who are really unable to pay their back taxes, through no fault of their own, they only apply in the most extreme cases, so the vast majority of taxpayers in Athens, Alabama don't qualify for them.

Moreover, you need to know that anyone demanding payment before they perform any services in Athens probably doesn't have your interests in mind. If you pay a scammer up front, they'll probably just run off with your money, and you'll never hear from them again.

How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Athens, Alabama Help?

If you find that you are unable to pay your taxes, through no fault of your own, you may be tempted to answer an advertisement for a "tax relief" company. Before that, you should speak with an Athens, Alabama tax lawyer.

A good Athens, Alabama tax attorney can give you honest, unbiased legal advice that will be useful in handling any problem you have with your taxes. Of course, as you probably know, honest advice is, more often than not, the opposite of what one wants to hear, even if it is more useful than whatever puffery you'll hear from a scammer. Plus, in the extremely unlikely event that your tax attorney defrauds you, it will be much easier to seek legal action against a licensed attorney than against some scammer who probably doesn't use his or her real name.