Tax Relief Lawyers in Lynn
The term "tax relief" can refer to various different things in Lynn, Massachusetts. But, it is typically 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 hypothetically 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 usually claim that they will have brilliant 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 Lynn, Massachusetts
Many scammers in Lynn, Massachusetts claim that they can completely relieve you of your requirement to pay your taxes - for a fee, of course.
But buyer beware: these scammers in Lynn, Massachusetts, and elsewhere, cannot possibly deliver on their promises, and they know it. Luckily, most tax relief scams have a few common factors that can give them away to vigilant consumers.
One of the biggest warning signs that one should look for is an explicit promise that someone can eliminate your tax debt. This is simply not a promise that anyone can honestly make. While the IRS does have programs to assist people who are truly unable to pay their back taxes, through no fault of their own, they only apply in the most extreme cases, so the vast majority of taxpayers in Lynn, Massachusetts don't qualify for them.
And if a tax relief organization demands up-front payment, this should raise a big red flag for you. Many scammers in Lynn, whether they're vowing tax relief, or anything else, will take your money, and then disappear, without even pretending to try to help you. The worst of the worst will also take the money you agreed to pay them, and then make unlawful charges to your credit card, or withdrawals from your bank account.
How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Lynn, Massachusetts Help?
If you find that you can't pay your taxes, and this is not a result of any fault or irresponsibility on your part, a tax attorney in Lynn, Massachusetts may well be able to help you.
A competent and reputable tax attorney in Lynn, Massachusetts will give you objective legal advice on how to handle a tax law issue. A reputable 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.