Tax Relief Lawyers in Watertown

The term "tax relief" can refer to various different things in Watertown, Massachusetts. But, it is normally 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 presumably 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 typically 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 Watertown, Massachusetts

Scammers in Watertown, Massachusetts often claim that they can employ some exceptional method enabling you pay the IRS less than you truly owe, or even erase your tax debt.

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

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 explicit guarantee that they can lower your tax bill. While there are some legal ways to try and reduce your tax requirement, including negotiating with the IRS, there is no guarantee that they will prevail. And although the IRS does have programs to advise people who are really unable to pay for their taxes, they are only available to very small subset of the population, and most Watertown, Massachusetts taxpayers aren't suitable to participate in them.

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

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

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

If you hire a reliable Watertown, Massachusetts tax lawyer, your attorney will be able to provide you with honest advice about your legal situations vis-à-vis your taxes. Fair warning: honest legal advice occasionally doesn't involve telling you what you want to hear. However, the advice of an attorney will be far more useful than anything most "tax relief" companies tell you. Plus, in the very rare event that your attorney tries to defraud you, you have much more legal recourse against them than you would have against some fly-by-night "tax relief" company.