Tax Relief Lawyers in Bellingham

The term "tax relief" can refer to numerous different things in Bellingham, Massachusetts. 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 you hear the term "tax relief" used by an elected official, or someone running for office, they're almost exclusively talking about tax cuts, which would apparently apply to the speaker's target audience. A tax cut is simply a reduction in the percentage of one's income (or whatever else is being taxed) that they have to pay in taxes.

However, when most people think of "tax relief," they are thinking of an individual, law firm, or corporation that claims to offer a way to get out of paying some or all of one's back taxes. They normally claim that they will have experienced lawyers negotiate with the IRS or Massachusetts tax authorities, to reduce your tax liability. While some of these businesses are legitimate, there are also many scams in this area.

Tax Relief Scams in Bellingham, Massachusetts

Scammers in Bellingham, Massachusetts will commonly claim, for a fee of course, that they can get you out of your requirement to pay your taxes.

In the majority of cases, however, tax relief scammers in Bellingham, Massachusetts have no actual capacity to reduce your legal liability to pay your taxes. However, these scams also have numerous common factors which tend to be dead giveaways of their fraudulent nature, making them fairly easy to avoid if you are extremely vigilant.

Probably the strongest indication that a tax relief organization is a scam is a guarantee that they can deliver a particular result. If anyone makes an absolute promise that they can excuse your tax debt, they are lying to you, plain and simple. This is because it is impossible to honestly make such a guarantee. The fact is, most people are not qualified for any IRS programs that let some taxpayers reduce their tax liability. This goes for most people in Bellingham, Massachusetts, as well.

Another red flag to look for is a demand of a large up-front payment. Many tax relief scammers in Bellingham will not even pretend to try and assist you. Rather, they simply take the money and disappear, sometimes after making further, and illegal, charges to your credit card or withdrawals from your bank account.

How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Bellingham, Massachusetts Help?

If you find that you are unable to pay your taxes, through no fault of your own, you may be tempted to answer an advertisement for a "tax relief" company. Before that, you should talk with a Bellingham, Massachusetts tax lawyer.

A qualified and reputable tax attorney in Bellingham, Massachusetts will give you objective legal advice on how to handle a tax law issue. A seasoned tax attorney delivering honest advice, however, will tell you the truth, which may not necessarily be what you want to hear. The upside, of course, is that the information they're giving you is actually useful, as opposed to the "advice" given to you by a tax relief scammer, which, if followed, would put you in a worse position than you were before. Plus, you will have a good deal of legal recourse against a tax attorney, in the unlikely event that a licensed attorney defrauds you.