Tax Relief Lawyers in Los Altos

"Tax relief" in Los Altos, California can refer to a wide range of subjects. However, it almost exclusively refers to lowering the tax liability, either of an individual, or a group of individuals.

When a politician or other government official uses the term "tax relief," they're mostly frequently talking about tax cuts, or some other actual or suggested 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 requirement to pay the taxes. Most of the time, they'll say that they have experienced 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 forthright, and have the best interests of their customers in mind. However, many of them are scams.

Tax Relief Scams in Los Altos, California

Scammers in Los Altos, California often claim that they can employ some unique method enabling you pay the IRS less than you truly owe, or even erase your tax debt.

But buyer beware: these scammers in Los Altos, California, and elsewhere, cannot possibly deliver on their promises, and they know it. Thankfully, most tax relief scams have a few common factors that can give them away to vigilant consumers.

There is one warning sign that virtually guarantees that the tax relief company you're dealing with intends to defraud you: if they make an absolute guarantee that they can lower your tax bill. While there are some legal ways to try and reduce your tax requirement, including negotiating with the IRS, there is no guarantee that they will prevail. And although the IRS does have programs to advise people who are really unable to pay for their taxes, they are only available to very small subset of the population, and most Los Altos, California taxpayers aren't suitable to participate in them.

Additionally, any demand for upfront payment, before any actual services are rendered, is another warning sign that you may be dealing with a fraudster. This is because many tax scammers in Los Altos will simply take whatever money you give them, and drop off the face of the Earth (figuratively, unfortunately), without doing anything to help you, or even pretending to. Adding insult to injury, if you pay them with a credit card, they may well make additional illegal charges to it.

How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Los Altos, California Help?

If you find that you can't pay your taxes, and this is not a result of any fault or irresponsibility on your part, a tax attorney in Los Altos, California may well be able to advise you.

Your tax lawyer in Los Altos, California will be able to give you real, useful advice about your tax situation. Just be ready: your tax attorney will give you honest advice, whether or not that's what you want to hear. Moreover, in the unlikely event that a licensed tax attorney defrauds you (or attempts to defraud you), you will have substantial legal recourse against that attorney through your state bar association.