Tax Evasion Lawyers in Gardiner

In Maine "tax evasion" is the crime of failing to pay the taxes that they owe.

Most commonly, people who try to evade their taxes in Gardiner, Maine will take steps to hide their assets and income, or transferring their property to other legal entities in a fraudulent manner.

You should not confuse "tax evasion" with "tax avoidance." Tax evasion is illegal, and involves deliberately failing to pay one's taxes which they lawfully owe. Tax avoidance, on the other hand, is legal, and involves using legal strategies to lower one's legal tax liability. For example, strategically using deductions and tax credits to lower the amount of money you are legally obliged to pay, is an example of tax avoidance, assuming you actually pay your tax bill, whatever it ends up being.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in Gardiner, Maine

Under federal and state law, including the laws of Maine, tax evasion is a very severe crime.

Punishments for evading one's taxes in Gardiner range from paying back taxes plus interest (a relatively mild punishment) all the way up to years in prison, and fines in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Most often, tax evasion - if it's a first offense and the tax liability is small - will not be cause for huge fines or imprisonment. This is especially true if the prosecution can't definitively prove that that the defendant's failure to pay taxes was purposeful, as opposed to an honest mistake.

However, if it can be clearly proven that a person or corporation in Gardiner, Maine willfully attempted to hide income or assets for the purpose of getting out of taxes, a court will probably throw the book at them, so to speak. This can mean jail sentences measured in years, and fines in the six or seven figures.

A Gardiner, Maine Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

Tax lawyers in Gardiner, Maine can help anyone from an individual to a big business pay their taxes more easily, and comply with federal and local tax laws.

In the unfortunate event that you're really charged with tax evasion, it's important that you hire a reliable tax attorney in Gardiner, Maine. If you are actually innocent, your tax attorney can help make sure that you have the best chance you can of being found not guilty.