Tax Evasion Lawyers in Americus

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

Most frequently, people who try to evade their taxes in Americus, Georgia will take steps to harbor 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 Americus, Georgia

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

Punishments for evading one's taxes in Americus 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.

However, the punishments for tax evasion, particularly first offenses involving relatively small amounts of money, is not typically so severe, particularly 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 establish that a defendant in Americus, Georgia 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 Americus, Georgia Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

An Americus, Georgia attorney who concentrates in tax law can help ensure that you are in conformity with all applicable tax laws, making an accusation of tax evasion less likely.

In the unfortunate event that you're truly charged with tax evasion, it's crucial that you hire a knowledgeable tax attorney in Americus, Georgia. 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.