Tax Relief Lawyers in Scarborough

The term "tax relief" can refer to various different things in Scarborough, Maine. 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.

Increasingly, however, the general public is being inundated with advertisements on the Internet, the radio, and in print, from companies offering "tax relief" to consumers who owe back taxes in amounts that will be difficult or impossible to pay back. These companies claim to have some unique technique that can get Maine residents out of paying their taxes, or at least negotiate their final tax bill down to a smaller amount. Some of these companies are legitimate, but many of them are total frauds.

Tax Relief Scams in Scarborough, Maine

It is pretty common for scammers in Scarborough, Maine to claim that, for a comparatively small fee, they will help you get out of paying all of your taxes.

But buyer beware: these scammers in Scarborough, Maine, 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.

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 assist people who are truly unable to pay for their taxes, they are only available to very small subset of the population, and most Scarborough, Maine taxpayers aren't eligible to participate in them.

Furthermore, you need to know that anyone demanding payment before they execute any services in Scarborough probably doesn't have your interests in mind. If you pay a scammer up front, they'll likely just run off with your money, and you'll never hear from them again.

How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Scarborough, Maine 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 Scarborough, Maine may well be able to help you.

If you hire a reputable Scarborough, Maine 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.