Tax Relief Lawyers in Sunnyvale
"Tax relief" in Sunnyvale, California 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 a politician or other government official uses the term "tax relief," they're mostly often talking about tax cuts, or some other actual or recommended government action which would reduce the tax liability of some individuals or corporations.
However, many people in the general public, particularly in these troubled economic times, often hear the words "tax relief" used in a totally different context. The phrase has become synonymous with businesses and individuals who claim they have some unique method to help you lower your tax liability in California. While some of these offers are legitimate, many of them are scams, and if you hire them, you'll end up in a worse position than you were before.
Tax Relief Scams in Sunnyvale, California
Scammers in Sunnyvale, California often claim that they can employ some unique method enabling you pay the IRS less than you actually owe, or even erase your tax debt.
In most cases, however, these people have absolutely no legal means to actually help their "clients" ("victims" is the more accurate term), and will simply take your money and disappear. Thankfully, these scams in Sunnyvale, California usually have a few elements that are dead giveaways, which you should always be on the look out for if you're contemplating hiring someone offering "tax relief."
One of the biggest warning signs that one should look for is an absolute 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 assist people who are truly 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 Sunnyvale, California don't qualify for them.
Also, any demand for upfront payment, before any actual services are rendered, is another warning sign that you may be dealing with a fraudster. This is because many tax scammers in Sunnyvale will simply take whatever money you give them, and drop off the face of the Earth (figuratively, unfortunately), without doing anything to help you, or even pretending to. Adding insult to injury, if you pay them with a credit card, they may well make additional illegal charges to it.
How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Sunnyvale, California Help?
If you owe a huge amount in back taxes, and are unable to pay them, it may well be helpful to seek the advice of a Sunnyvale, California tax attorney.
A good Sunnyvale, California tax attorney can give you honest, unbiased legal advice that will be useful in handling any problem you have with your taxes. Of course, as you probably know, honest advice is, more often than not, the opposite of what one wants to hear, even if it is more useful than whatever puffery you'll hear from a scammer. Plus, in the extremely unlikely event that your tax attorney defrauds you, it will be much easier to seek legal action against a licensed attorney than against some scammer who likely doesn't use his or her real name.