Tax Relief Lawyers in Lake Elsinore

"Tax relief" in Lake Elsinore, California 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 politician or other government official uses the term "tax relief," they're mostly commonly talking about tax cuts, or some other actual or prospective government action which would reduce the tax liability of some individuals or corporations.

However, many people associate the phrase "tax relief" with individuals, corporations, or law firms that offer services claiming to reduce or eliminate one's tax liability - getting them out of their obligation to pay the taxes. Most of the time, they'll say that they have skilled negotiators on their staff who can negotiate with the tax collectors in California or the IRS, to lower your tax bill. Some of these businesses are straightforward, and have the best interests of their customers in mind. However, many of them are scams.

Tax Relief Scams in Lake Elsinore, California

Scammers in Lake Elsinore, California often claim that they can employ some special method enabling you pay the IRS less than you really owe, or even erase your tax debt.

In the majority of cases, however, tax relief scammers in Lake Elsinore, California have no actual ability to reduce your legal liability to pay your taxes. However, these scams also have many common factors which tend to be dead giveaways of their fraudulent nature, making them fairly easy to avoid if you are extremely vigilant.

One of the strongest indications that you're dealing with a scammer is if they guarantee that they can deliver a particular result. When it comes to negotiating with the IRS or state tax authorities, there are simply no guarantees, and a qualified and ethical tax relief professional will know this, and tell you as much. The unfortunate fact is that, while the IRS does have programs permitting people to negotiate a lower tax bill, they only apply to people in extreme situations, who are unable to pay their taxes through no fault of their own. Most Lake Elsinore, California residents will not be qualified.

And if a tax relief organization demands up-front payment, this should raise a big red flag for you. Many scammers in Lake Elsinore, whether they're promising tax relief, or anything else, will take your money, and then disappear, without even pretending to try to assist you. The worst of the worst will also take the money you agreed to pay them, and then make unauthorized charges to your credit card, or withdrawals from your bank account.

How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Lake Elsinore, California 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 a Lake Elsinore, California tax lawyer.

A good Lake Elsinore, California 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.