Tax Evasion Lawyers in Benton Harbor

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

Most commonly, people who try to evade their taxes in Benton Harbor, Michigan 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 important 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 Benton Harbor, Michigan

Both federal law and the law of Michigan treat tax evasion as a severe criminal offense.

Punishments for evading one's taxes in Benton Harbor 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.

Usually, a first offense of tax evasion, if the amount of tax evaded is relatively small, will not result in jail time or massive fines. This is especially the case if the government has trouble proving that the failure to pay taxes was the result of deliberate evasion, as opposed to an honest error in accounting.

However, if the relevant tax authorities are able to demonstrate that a taxpayer in Benton Harbor, Michigan committed deliberate fraud, in order to evade their legal duty to pay taxes, a tax court is probably going to impose a more severe penalty, which may include jail time, and large financial penalties.

A Benton Harbor, Michigan Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

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

However, if you're really accused of tax evasion, you will need a Benton Harbor, Michigan tax attorney more than ever. If you are, in fact, innocent, a tax attorney can give you the best possible chance of being found not guilty.