Tax Audit in Sarasota, Florida

Find the right Tax Audit attorney in Sarasota, FL

Tax Audit Lawyers in Sarasota

A "tax audit" in Florida is the process by which the proper tax authorities (either the IRS, at the federal level, or its state equivalent) investigate a tax filing in more detail than they do for ordinary filings, typically because there appears to be a discrepancy, or some other suspicious item, in somebody's tax returns. However, the IRS (and state tax authorities) sometimes do rounds of random audits, where they audit taxpayers at random, without necessarily suspecting them of any wrongdoing.

The actual procedure involved in a tax audit in Sarasota, Florida is typically fairly straightforward. If you hare chosen for an audit, you will receive a letter in the mail telling you as much. Before responding, it's important for you to make sure that the letter is authentic, because there are scammers who send fake audit letters to innocent victims, in an attempt to extort money out of them. You should search the Internet for the name of the organization that the letter claims to represent, and call them using the contact information on their website, and confirm that you are truly being audited.

After confirming that the audit you're facing is truly legitimate, there are a few things you can do to prepare. First, you should assemble all of the proper documents you have in your possession. This should include your tax return, W-2 forms, and records of any expenses that you claim as deductions. You should bring these documents, and any others that the auditor requests, to the meeting. At the meeting, the auditor will ask you a list of questions, which you should answer honestly and to the best of your knowledge.

Reasons For a Tax Audit in Sarasota, Florida

There are plenty of reasons why Florida's government, or the federal government, might conduct a tax audit.

A taxpayer can be chosen for an audit at random, even if the tax authorities don't suspect any wrongdoing. The idea behind these random audits is to keep taxpayers on their toes. So, if you are audited for this reason, and know that you've done everything properly in filing your taxes, you will probably be fine.

On the other hand, there are also particular reasons why the tax authorities in Sarasota, Florida might want to conduct a tax audit. The most prevalent reason for a tax audit is suspicion that a taxpayer has not reported all of the income they earned in a given year. This suspicion often arises when a taxpayer buys a considerable number of expensive luxury items, but only claims a small amount of income on their tax return. Obviously, the tax man will be quite interested in learning where someone who is claiming a minimum-wage level income on their taxes got the money to buy a sports car.

Claiming an unusually-high number of deductions is another prevalent reason for tax audits in Sarasota, Florida. A tax deduction is some expenditure that you can subtract from your taxable income, thereby reducing your tax liability. If you claim such a huge number of deductions that your tax liability has been reduced to almost nothing, the IRS will probably want to make sure that all of these deductions are valid.

How Can A Sarasota, Florida Tax Lawyer Help?

If you experience an audit in Sarasota, Florida, and believe that you have properly reported all of your income on your tax filings, it will probably go fine. And if there is anything wrong with your filings, it was likely the result of an honest mistake, and auditors are generally sensitive to this fact. In such cases, the penalty is typically light. It will probably be little more than a requirement that you pay back taxes and interest.

But, there are some tax audits that are far more perplexing and serious than a tax return having a few more deductions than usual. If this is the situation you're in, you should contact a Sarasota, Florida tax attorney as soon as possible, to help make sure that your tax audit goes smoothly.

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Life in Sarasota

Sarasota, Florida is the county seat of Sarasota County, located on the central Gulf Coast. It has a population of about 53,000 people.

Humans first settled Florida, including the Sarasota area, about 15,000 years ago - not very long after their initial arrival on North America. At that time, sea levels were much lower, and Sarasota would have been about 100 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, rather than right on the coast. Europeans first settled the area in the 1600s.

Modernly, Sarasota has been hit hard by the crash of the U.S. housing market. However, it is still regularly visited by tourists, and tourism remains a major sector of its economy. Sarasota is also home to many sites of historic interest, from prehistoric archeological sites, to Civil War forts.

The architectural style prevalent in Sarasota was once so popular that it is now an established architectural style, known as the "Sarasota School" or "Sarasota Modern."

If you live in Sarasota, Florida, and are looking for an attorney, you're in luck. There are many lawyers in Sarasota, Florida who practice many different areas of law. If you need legal advice, a Sarasota, Florida lawyer is the person you should call.

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