Tax Evasion Lawyers in Plainview

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

There are a few strategies that tax evaders use in Plainview, New York. One of the most typical tactics is to make it appear that the taxpayer has less taxable income than they actually do. There are a wide variety of ways to harbor income for the purpose of evading one's tax liability, but all of them are illegal.

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

Penalties for Tax Evasion in Plainview, New York

The laws of the federal government, as well as New York take tax evasion quite seriously, making it a crime.

In Plainview, 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.

Normally, 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.

On the other hand, if the prosecution can establish that a Plainview, New York taxpayer engaged in fraud, and knowingly failed to pay their taxes, a tax court will probably impose the most severe punishment that's permitted by law. This can easily involve jail time.

A Plainview, New York Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

An attorney in Plainview, New York specializing in tax law can help you comply with all the tax laws that apply to you, which makes it very unlikely that you'll ever be accused of tax evasion in the first place.

However, if you're truly accused of tax evasion, you will need a Plainview, New York 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.