Tax Evasion Lawyers in South Berwick

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 South Berwick, Maine will take steps to hide their assets and income, or transferring their property to other legal entities in a fraudulent manner.

You may also be familiar with the term "tax avoidance." It is essential that you don't confuse this with "tax evasion." Tax avoidance is perfectly legal, and is probably something that every taxpayer does whenever they file, whether they know it or not. It involves employing legal methods to make one's tax liability as small as possible, taking advantages of deductions and other tax breaks.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in South Berwick, Maine

Under the laws of Maine, as well as federal law, tax evasion is a very severe criminal offense.

Punishments for evading one's taxes in South Berwick 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.

However, the punishments for tax evasion, especially first offenses involving relatively small amounts of money, is not normally so severe, especially when it looks like the failure to pay taxes was the result of an honest mistake, rather than deliberate fraud.

But if the government is able to definitively show that a defendant in South Berwick, Maine intentionally engaged in fraud to get out of paying taxes, a tax court is highly unlikely to show any leniency, and may well sentence the defendant to prison time.

A South Berwick, Maine Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

A tax attorney in South Berwick, Maine can ensure that you meet your tax liabilities, which will make an audit, or charge of tax evasion, less likely. Sometimes, it's difficult to determine clearly what one's tax liability is, and a tax attorney can help.

In the unfortunate event that you're really charged with tax evasion, it's essential that you hire a reliable tax attorney in South Berwick, 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.