Tax Evasion Lawyers in Garden City

In Kansas "tax evasion" is the crime of failing to pay the taxes that they owe.

Normally, the strategy employed by tax evaders in Garden City, Kansas is to try and make it look like they have less taxable income than they actually do. This can be done by failing to report income, concealing it, or fraudulently transferring property.

"Tax evasion" should be distinguished from "tax avoidance." Tax evasion is the prohibited act of trying to hide one's tax liability. Tax avoidance, on the other hand, is perfectly legal, and simply involves using the tax laws strategically, to reduce one's actual tax liability as much as possible.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in Garden City, Kansas

Both federal law and the law of Kansas treat tax evasion as a significant criminal offense.

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

Normally, a first offense of tax evasion, if the amount of tax evaded is relatively small, will not result in jail time or massive fines. This is especially the case if the government has trouble proving that the failure to pay taxes was the result of purposeful evasion, as opposed to an honest error in accounting.

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

A Garden City, Kansas Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

Attorneys in Garden City, Kansas 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.

In the unfortunate event that you're truly charged with tax evasion, it's critical that you hire a knowledgeable tax attorney in Garden City, Kansas. 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.