Tax Evasion Lawyers in Niceville

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

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

You should not confuse "tax evasion" with "tax avoidance." Tax evasion is illegal, and involves deliberately failing to pay one's taxes which they lawfully owe. Tax avoidance, on the other hand, is legal, and involves utilizing legal strategies to lower one's legal tax liability. For example, strategically using deductions and tax credits to lower the amount of money you are legally obliged to pay, is an example of tax avoidance, assuming you actually pay your tax bill, whatever it ends up being.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in Niceville, Florida

Both federal law and the law of Florida treat tax evasion as a severe criminal offense.

In Niceville, tax evasion can result in anything from a comparatively small fine, and a court order to pay any back taxes as well as interest, all the way up to financial penalties in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, as well as jail time.

However, the punishments for tax evasion, particularly first offenses involving relatively small amounts of money, is not normally so severe, particularly 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 Niceville, Florida 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 Niceville, Florida Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

Attorneys in Niceville, Florida who practice tax law can help you stay in conformity with your tax commitments. This is a good way to confirm that you won't be suspected of tax evasion in the first place.

In the unfortunate event that you're really charged with tax evasion, it's imperative that you hire a reliable tax attorney in Niceville, Florida. If you are actually innocent, your tax attorney can help make sure that you have the best chance you can of being found not guilty.