Tax Evasion Lawyers in Orange County

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

Most often, people who try to evade their taxes in Orange County, Florida will take steps to conceal 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 Orange County, Florida

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

Punishments for evading one's taxes in Orange 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.

Typically, a first offense of tax evasion, if the amount of tax evaded is relatively small, will not result in jail time or massive fines. This is especially the case if the government has trouble proving that the failure to pay taxes was the result of purposeful evasion, as opposed to an honest error in accounting.

But, if the government can prove that a defendant in Orange County, Florida intentionally concealed income, in order to get out of paying taxes, a court will most likely impose the heaviest penalties allowed by law, including enormous fines, and several years in prison.

A Orange County, Florida Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

Tax lawyers in Orange County, Florida can help anyone from an individual to a big business pay their taxes more easily, and comply with federal and local tax laws.

In the unfortunate event that you're actually charged with tax evasion, it's essential that you hire a qualified tax attorney in Orange County, 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.