Tax Evasion Lawyers in Savannah
"Tax Evasion" refers to the crime of willfully failing to pay one's taxes, as required by Georgia law.
Most often, people who try to evade their taxes in Savannah, Georgia will take steps to conceal their assets and income, or transferring their property to other legal entities in a fraudulent manner.
You may also be familiar with the term "tax avoidance." It is necessary that you don't confuse this with "tax evasion." Tax avoidance is perfectly legal, and is probably something that every taxpayer does whenever they file, whether they know it or not. It involves employing legal methods to make one's tax liability as small as possible, taking advantages of deductions and other tax breaks.
Penalties for Tax Evasion in Savannah, Georgia
The federal government and the laws of Georgia impose severe penalties for tax evasion - treating it as an extremely serious crime.
In Savannah, the punishments for tax evasion can range from a court order to pay back taxes, plus a small fine, and range all the way up to fines in the tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars, and imprisonment.
In the majority of tax evasion cases, however, the punishments are not so severe. This is especially likely in first offenses, when the amount of money involved is fairly small. Minor punishments for tax evasion typically mean a small fine, on top of an order to pay whatever taxes the taxpayer owes. A minor punishment is most likely when the government has trouble proving that fraud was involved, as opposed to an honest accounting error.
However, if the relevant tax authorities are able to demonstrate that a taxpayer in Savannah, Georgia committed purposeful fraud, in order to evade their legal duty to pay taxes, a tax court is probably going to impose a more severe penalty, which may include jail time, and large financial penalties.
A Savannah, Georgia Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help
Attorneys in Savannah, Georgia who practice tax law can help you stay in compliance with your tax obligations. This is a good way to ensure that you won't be suspected of tax evasion in the first place.
However, if you're actually accused of tax evasion, you will need a Savannah, Georgia tax attorney more than ever. If you are, in fact, innocent, a tax attorney can give you the best possible chance of being found not guilty.