Tax Relief Lawyers in Manatee County

"Tax relief" in Manatee County, Florida 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 you hear the term "tax relief" used by an elected official, or someone running for office, they're almost exclusively talking about tax cuts, which would apparently apply to the speaker's target audience. A tax cut is simply a reduction in the percentage of one's income (or whatever else is being taxed) that they have to pay in taxes.

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

Tax Relief Scams in Manatee County, Florida

It is pretty common for scammers in Manatee County, Florida to claim that, for a comparatively small fee, they will help you get out of paying all of your taxes.

But you should beware: no honest tax relief business in Manatee County, Florida will make such promises, because they know it's almost always impossible to deliver on them. Thankfully, there are several features you can look for to help you spot - and avoid - tax relief scammers.

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 explicit 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 assist people who are truly unable to pay for their taxes, they are only available to very small subset of the population, and most Manatee County, Florida taxpayers aren't eligible to participate in them.

Another red flag to look for is a demand of a large up-front payment. Many tax relief scammers in Manatee County will not even pretend to try and help you. Instead, they simply take the money and disappear, sometimes after making further, and unlawful, charges to your credit card or withdrawals from your bank account.

How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Manatee County, Florida 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 Manatee County, Florida may well be able to help you.

A competent and reputable tax attorney in Manatee County, Florida will give you objective legal advice on how to handle a tax law issue. A reputable tax attorney delivering honest advice, however, will tell you the truth, which may not necessarily be what you want to hear. The upside, of course, is that the information they're giving you is actually useful, as opposed to the "advice" given to you by a tax relief scammer, which, if followed, would put you in a worse position than you were before. Plus, you will have a good deal of legal recourse against a tax attorney, in the unlikely event that a licensed attorney defrauds you.