Tax Relief Lawyers in Bastrop

The term "tax relief" can refer to many different things in Bastrop, Louisiana. But, it is usually used to refer to some action that reduces the tax liability of an individual, corporation, or a certain category of individuals.

When a politician or other government official uses the term "tax relief," they're mostly commonly talking about tax cuts, or some other actual or proposed government action which would reduce the tax liability of some individuals or corporations.

Increasingly, however, the general public is being inundated with advertisements on the Internet, the radio, and in print, from companies offering "tax relief" to consumers who owe back taxes in amounts that will be hard or impossible to pay back. These companies claim to have some secret technique that can get Louisiana residents out of paying their taxes, or at least negotiate their final tax bill down to a smaller amount. Some of these companies are legitimate, but many of them are total frauds.

Tax Relief Scams in Bastrop, Louisiana

It is pretty common for scammers in Bastrop, Louisiana to claim that, for a relatively small fee, they will help you get out of paying all of your taxes.

But buyer beware: these scammers in Bastrop, Louisiana, and elsewhere, cannot possibly deliver on their promises, and they know it. Fortunately, most tax relief scams have a few common factors that can give them away to vigilant consumers.

There is one warning sign that virtually guarantees that the tax relief company you're dealing with intends to defraud you: if they make an unequivocal guarantee that they can lower your tax bill. While there are some legal ways to try and reduce your tax obligation, including negotiating with the IRS, there is no guarantee that they will succeed. And although the IRS does have programs to help people who are absolutely unable to pay for their taxes, they are only available to very small subset of the population, and most Bastrop, Louisiana taxpayers aren't qualified to participate in them.

Furthermore, any demand for upfront payment, before any actual services are rendered, is another warning sign that you may be dealing with a fraudster. This is because many tax scammers in Bastrop will simply take whatever money you give them, and drop off the face of the Earth (figuratively, unfortunately), without doing anything to help you, or even pretending to. Adding insult to injury, if you pay them with a credit card, they may well make additional unauthorized charges to it.

How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Bastrop, Louisiana Help?

If you owe a large amount in back taxes, and are unable to pay them, it may well be helpful to seek the advice of a Bastrop, Louisiana tax attorney.

A good Bastrop, Louisiana tax attorney can give you honest, unbiased legal advice that will be useful in handling any problem you have with your taxes. Of course, as you probably know, honest advice is, more often than not, the opposite of what one wants to hear, even if it is more useful than whatever puffery you'll hear from a scammer. Plus, in the extremely unlikely event that your tax attorney defrauds you, it will be much easier to seek legal action against a licensed attorney than against some scammer who probably doesn't use his or her real name.