Tax Relief Lawyers in Pleasanton

"Tax relief" in Pleasanton, 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 commonly 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 in the general public, particularly in these troubled economic times, often hear the words "tax relief" used in a totally different context. The phrase has become synonymous with businesses and individuals who claim they have some unique method to help you lower your tax liability in California. While some of these offers are legitimate, many of them are scams, and if you hire them, you'll end up in a worse position than you were before.

Tax Relief Scams in Pleasanton, California

Scammers in Pleasanton, California will commonly claim, for a fee of course, that they can get you out of your requirement to pay your taxes.

However, in most cases, these people have no capacity or intent to assist their "clients," and will simply take the money and run. In order to spot a tax relief scam, there are a few things that residents of Pleasanton, California can look for.

Probably the strongest indication that a tax relief organization is a scam is a guarantee that they can deliver a particular result. If anyone makes an absolute promise that they can excuse your tax debt, they are lying to you, plain and simple. This is because it is impossible to honestly make such a guarantee. The fact is, most people are not qualified for any IRS programs that let some taxpayers reduce their tax liability. This goes for most people in Pleasanton, California, as well.

And if a tax relief organization demands up-front payment, this should raise a big red flag for you. Many scammers in Pleasanton, whether they're assuring 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 illegal charges to your credit card, or withdrawals from your bank account.

How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Pleasanton, California Help?

If you are in need of tax relief, or are encountering trouble paying taxes you owe, it can't hurt to talk with a Pleasanton, California tax attorney.

If you hire a seasoned Pleasanton, California tax lawyer, your attorney will be able to provide you with honest advice about your legal situations vis-à-vis your taxes. Fair warning: honest legal advice occasionally doesn't involve telling you what you want to hear. However, the advice of an attorney will be far more useful than anything most "tax relief" companies tell you. Plus, in the very rare event that your attorney tries to defraud you, you have much more legal recourse against them than you would have against some fly-by-night "tax relief" company.