Tax Evasion Lawyers in Bernalillo County

Tax Evasion in New Mexico is a criminal act in which someone deliberately fails to pay their taxes.

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

"Tax evasion" should be distinguished from "tax avoidance." Tax evasion is the unlawful act of trying to hide one's tax liability. Tax avoidance, on the other hand, is perfectly legal, and simply involves utilizing the tax laws strategically, to reduce one's actual tax liability as much as possible.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in Bernalillo County, New Mexico

Under federal and state law, including the laws of New Mexico, tax evasion is a very egregious crime.

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

Most often, tax evasion - if it's a first offense and the tax liability is small - will not be cause for huge fines or imprisonment. This is particularly true if the prosecution can't definitively prove that that the defendant's failure to pay taxes was intentional, as opposed to an honest mistake.

But if the government is able to definitively show that a defendant in Bernalillo County, New Mexico intentionally engaged in fraud to get out of paying taxes, a tax court is very unlikely to show any leniency, and may well sentence the defendant to prison time.

A Bernalillo County, New Mexico Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

A tax attorney in Bernalillo County, New Mexico can ensure that you meet your tax liabilities, which will make an audit, or charge of tax evasion, less likely. Sometimes, it's challenging to determine clearly what one's tax liability is, and a tax attorney can help.

Of course, if you've really been accused of tax evasion, you should retain a Bernalillo County, New Mexico tax lawyer immediately. If you are innocent, a tax attorney will make sure you have the best chance possible at being acquitted.