Tax Evasion Lawyers in Lighthouse Point

"Tax Evasion" refers to the crime of intentionally failing to pay one's taxes, as required by Florida law.

Most commonly, people who try to evade their taxes in Lighthouse Point, Florida will take steps to hide their assets and income, or transferring their property to other legal entities in a fraudulent manner.

You should not confuse "tax evasion" with "tax avoidance." Tax evasion is illegal, and involves deliberately failing to pay one's taxes which they lawfully owe. Tax avoidance, on the other hand, is legal, and involves using legal strategies to lower one's legal tax liability. For example, strategically using deductions and tax credits to lower the amount of money you are legally obliged to pay, is an example of tax avoidance, assuming you actually pay your tax bill, whatever it ends up being.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in Lighthouse Point, Florida

Under the laws of Florida, as well as federal law, tax evasion is a very serious criminal offense.

Punishments for evading one's taxes in Lighthouse Point range from paying back taxes plus interest (a relatively mild punishment) all the way up to years in prison, and fines in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

However, the punishments for tax evasion, especially first offenses involving relatively small amounts of money, is not normally so severe, especially when it looks like the failure to pay taxes was the result of an honest mistake, rather than deliberate fraud.

But if the government is able to definitively show that a defendant in Lighthouse Point, Florida intentionally engaged in fraud to get out of paying taxes, a tax court is highly unlikely to show any leniency, and may well sentence the defendant to prison time.

A Lighthouse Point, Florida Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

A Lighthouse Point, Florida attorney who specializes in tax law can help ensure that you are in compliance with all applicable tax laws, making an accusation of tax evasion less likely.

In the unfortunate event that you're really charged with tax evasion, it's essential that you hire a reliable tax attorney in Lighthouse Point, Florida. If you are actually innocent, your tax attorney can help make sure that you have the best chance you can of being found not guilty.