Tax Evasion Lawyers in North Fort Myers

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

Most commonly, people who try to evade their taxes in North Fort Myers, 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 using 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 North Fort Myers, Florida

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

In North Fort Myers, tax evasion can result in anything from a relatively 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.

In most cases, particularly when the amount of taxes evaded is small, and it's a first offense, the punishment will normally be fairly mild. It will normally result in an order to pay the taxes the defendant owes, plus a small financial penalty. This is especially likely when it cannot be proven that the failure to pay taxes was purposeful.

But if the government is able to definitively show that a defendant in North Fort Myers, Florida 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 North Fort Myers, Florida Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

A tax attorney in North Fort Myers, Florida can ensure that you meet your tax liabilities, which will make an audit, or charge of tax evasion, less likely. Sometimes, it's difficult to determine clearly what one's tax liability is, and a tax attorney can help.

In the unfortunate event that you're really charged with tax evasion, it's important that you hire a reliable tax attorney in North Fort Myers, 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.