Tax Lawyers in Des Moines

The government of Des Moines, Iowa collects taxes from its residents in order to pay for general public services, like police and fire departments, libraries, hospitals, and public transit.

In Des Moines, Iowa, taxes are derived from different sources. Regardless of where a specific tax comes from, it is always collected in an amount dictated by law. Most often, taxes are calculated as a percentage of income, sales, or property value. Sometimes, normally in the context of licensing fees or car registration fees, taxes are set at a flat rate.

Everyone in Des Moines is obligated by law to pay the taxes they owe. If you fail to do this, you could end up facing jail time.

Sources of Tax Dollars in Des Moines, Iowa

There are a considerable number of different sources of tax revenue in Des Moines, Iowa. They contain, among many others, sales tax, licensing fees, and road tolls.

Sales Tax: Typically cities in the U.S., as well as most states, charge a sales tax. In Des Moines, the sales tax is calculated as a percentage of the sale price of most goods and services. The rate varies from state to state, and city to city.

Licensing Fees: In Des Moines, licenses are required to engage in many different activities, or at least to do so legally. The most prevalent of these are business licenses. While some professions require licenses because the state has an interest in ensuring competence in them (in law and medicine, for instance), many business licenses exist for the primary purpose of gathering revenue, and therefore serve the same purpose as taxes.

Bridge/Road Tolls: Many larger cities in the U.S. charge tolls to enter the city via main highways or bridges. This amounts to a tax paid for the privilege of entering Des Moines if it has such toll roads. Besides being a basic source of revenue, these tolls require visitors to the city, who will have many city services available to them while they visit, to pay at least some contribution to these services.

How Can a Des Moines, Iowa Tax Attorney Help?

In Des Moines, Iowa, the laws and regulations that govern the tax system are fairly intricate, even if determining one's tax rate is, in theory, a simple matter. Furthermore, there are many different exemptions, breaks, and deductions that can make the matter even more complex.

Therefore, it's very important that you seek the advice of a knowledgeable Des Moines, Iowa tax attorney if you have any type of issue involving local taxes.