Tax Relief Lawyers in Suffolk County

The term "tax relief" can refer to several different things in Suffolk County, 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 always 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 proficient 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 Suffolk County, Massachusetts

Scammers in Suffolk County, Massachusetts often claim that they can employ some distinct method enabling you pay the IRS less than you actually owe, or even erase your tax debt.

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

One of the biggest warning signs that one should look for is an indisputable 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 Suffolk County, 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 Suffolk County, whether they're pledging 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 unapproved charges to your credit card, or withdrawals from your bank account.

How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Suffolk County, 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 speak with a Suffolk County, Massachusetts tax lawyer.

A good Suffolk County, Massachusetts 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.