Tax Evasion Lawyers in Wahpeton

Tax Evasion in North Dakota is a criminal act in which someone willfully fails to pay their taxes.

One of the most common frequent tactics of tax evaders in Wahpeton, North Dakota is to attempt to make it appear to an outside observer that their tax liability is lower than it really is, such as by concealing income, fraudulently transferring property, and others.

It's important not to confuse "tax avoidance" and "tax evasion." They are two different things, but some people mistakenly use them interchangeably. Tax avoidance involves using legal methods, such as tax deductions and exemptions, in a strategic manner, for the purpose of reducing one's tax liability. Tax avoidance is perfectly legal. Tax evasion involves fraud, and a deliberate attempt to avoid meeting one's legal obligations to pay taxes.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in Wahpeton, North Dakota

The federal government and the laws of North Dakota impose severe penalties for tax evasion - treating it as an extremely serious crime.

In Wahpeton, the punishments for tax evasion can range from a court order to pay back taxes, plus a small fine, and range all the way up to fines in the tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars, and imprisonment.

Usually, a first offense of tax evasion, if the amount of tax evaded is relatively small, will not result in jail time or massive fines. This is especially the case if the government has trouble proving that the failure to pay taxes was the result of purposeful evasion, as opposed to an honest error in accounting.

But if the government is able to definitively show that a defendant in Wahpeton, North Dakota 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 Wahpeton, North Dakota Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

Attorneys in Wahpeton, North Dakota who practice tax law can help you stay in compliance with your tax obligations. This is a good way to ensure that you won't be suspected of tax evasion in the first place.

However, if you're really accused of tax evasion, you will need a Wahpeton, North Dakota tax attorney more than ever. If you are, in fact, innocent, a tax attorney can give you the best possible chance of being found not guilty.