Tax Evasion Lawyers in Oldsmar

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

Most commonly, people who try to evade their taxes in Oldsmar, 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 Oldsmar, Florida

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

In Oldsmar, 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 the majority of tax evasion cases, however, the punishments are not so severe. This is especially likely in first offenses, when the amount of money involved is fairly small. Minor punishments for tax evasion usually mean a small fine, on top of an order to pay whatever taxes the taxpayer owes. A minor punishment is most likely when the government has trouble proving that fraud was involved, as opposed to an honest accounting error.

On the other hand, if the prosecution can show that an Oldsmar, Florida taxpayer engaged in fraud, and knowingly failed to pay their taxes, a tax court will probably impose the most severe punishment that's authorized by law. This can easily involve jail time.

A Oldsmar, Florida Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

An Oldsmar, Florida 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.

In the unfortunate event that you're really charged with tax evasion, it's critical that you hire a reliable tax attorney in Oldsmar, 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.