Tax Relief Lawyers in Swampscott

The term "tax relief" can refer to various different things in Swampscott, Massachusetts. But, it is usually used to refer to some action that reduces the tax liability of an individual, corporation, or a certain category 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.

However, when most people think of "tax relief," they are thinking of an individual, law firm, or corporation that claims to offer a way to get out of paying some or all of one's back taxes. They normally claim that they will have brilliant lawyers negotiate with the IRS or Massachusetts tax authorities, to reduce your tax liability. While some of these businesses are legitimate, there are also many scams in this area.

Tax Relief Scams in Swampscott, Massachusetts

Scammers in Swampscott, Massachusetts often claim that they can employ some exceptional 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 Swampscott, Massachusetts have no actual capacity to reduce your legal liability to pay your taxes. However, these scams also have various 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 biggest warning signs that one should look for is an explicit promise that someone can eliminate your tax debt. This is simply not a promise that anyone can honestly make. While the IRS does have programs to help people who are honestly unable to pay their back taxes, through no fault of their own, they only apply in the most extreme cases, so the vast majority of taxpayers in Swampscott, Massachusetts don't qualify for them.

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

How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Swampscott, Massachusetts 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 Swampscott, Massachusetts may well be able to assist you.

If you hire a seasoned Swampscott, Massachusetts 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.