Tax Evasion Lawyers in El Paso County

"Tax Evasion" refers to the crime of intentionally failing to pay one's taxes, as required by Colorado law.

Usually, the strategy employed by tax evaders in El Paso County, Colorado is to try and make it look like they have less taxable income than they actually do. This can be done by failing to report income, concealing it, or fraudulently transferring property.

You may also be familiar with the term "tax avoidance." It is essential that you don't confuse this with "tax evasion." Tax avoidance is perfectly legal, and is probably something that every taxpayer does whenever they file, whether they know it or not. It involves employing legal methods to make one's tax liability as small as possible, taking advantages of deductions and other tax breaks.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in El Paso County, Colorado

Under the laws of Colorado, as well as federal law, tax evasion is a very serious criminal offense.

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

However, the punishments for tax evasion, especially first offenses involving relatively small amounts of money, is not normally so severe, especially when it looks like the failure to pay taxes was the result of an honest mistake, rather than deliberate fraud.

But if the government is able to definitively show that a defendant in El Paso County, Colorado 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 El Paso County, Colorado Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

An El Paso County, Colorado attorney who specializes in tax law can help ensure that you are in compliance with all applicable tax laws, making an accusation of tax evasion less likely.

However, if you're really accused of tax evasion, you will need an El Paso County, Colorado 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.