Tax Evasion Lawyers in Coal Valley

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

There are a few strategies that tax evaders use in Coal Valley, Illinois. One of the most frequent tactics is to make it appear that the taxpayer has less taxable income than they actually do. There are a wide number of ways to hide income for the purpose of evading one's tax liability, but all of them are illegal.

It's important not to confuse "tax avoidance" and "tax evasion." They are two different things, but some people mistakenly use them interchangeably. Tax avoidance involves utilizing legal methods, such as tax deductions and exemptions, in a strategic manner, for the purpose of reducing one's tax liability. Tax avoidance is perfectly legal. Tax evasion involves fraud, and a deliberate attempt to avoid meeting one's legal commitments to pay taxes.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in Coal Valley, Illinois

The federal government and the laws of Illinois impose grave penalties for tax evasion - treating it as an extremely serious crime.

In Coal Valley, tax evasion can result in anything from a comparatively small fine, and a court order to pay any back taxes as well as interest, all the way up to financial penalties in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, as well as jail time.

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 intentional, as opposed to an honest mistake.

On the other hand, if the prosecution can show that a Coal Valley, Illinois taxpayer engaged in fraud, and knowingly failed to pay their taxes, a tax court will probably impose the most grave punishment that's authorized by law. This can easily involve jail time.

A Coal Valley, Illinois Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

An attorney in Coal Valley, Illinois specializing in tax law can help you adhere with all the tax laws that apply to you, which makes it very unlikely that you'll ever be accused of tax evasion in the first place.

However, if you're really accused of tax evasion, you will need a Coal Valley, Illinois 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.