Tax Evasion Lawyers in Palm Coast
"Tax Evasion" refers to the crime of knowingly failing to pay one's taxes, as required by Florida law.
Most often, people who try to evade their taxes in Palm Coast, 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 Palm Coast, Florida
Both federal law and the law of Florida treat tax evasion as a serious criminal offense.
Punishments for evading one's taxes in Palm Coast 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 usually 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 prove that a defendant in Palm Coast, 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 Palm Coast, Florida Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help
A tax attorney in Palm Coast, 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 exactly what one's tax liability is, and a tax attorney can help.
In the unfortunate event that you're actually charged with tax evasion, it's critical that you hire a qualified tax attorney in Palm Coast, 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.