Tax Evasion Lawyers in Youngstown

"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 Youngstown, 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 utilizing 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 Youngstown, Florida

Under federal and state law, including the laws of Florida, tax evasion is a very significant crime.

Punishments for evading one's taxes in Youngstown range from paying back taxes plus interest (a relatively mild punishment) all the way up to years in prison, and penalties in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Most often, tax evasion - if it's a first offense and the tax liability is small - will not be cause for huge fines or imprisonment. This is particularly true if the prosecution can't definitively prove that that the defendant's failure to pay taxes was willful, as opposed to an honest mistake.

But if the government is able to definitively show that a defendant in Youngstown, Florida intentionally engaged in fraud to get out of paying taxes, a tax court is very unlikely to show any leniency, and may well sentence the defendant to prison time.

A Youngstown, Florida Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

A tax attorney in Youngstown, Florida can ensure that you meet your tax liabilities, which will make an audit, or charge of tax evasion, less likely. Sometimes, it's challenging 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 Youngstown, 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.