Tax Relief Lawyers in St. Clair Shores
The term "tax relief" can refer to many different things in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. But, it is usually used to refer to some action that reduces the tax liability of an individual, corporation, or a certain category of individuals.
When the term "tax relief" is used in the media, it's normally in the context of a politician, or someone running for elected office, promising that they'll reduce tax rates. Basically, "tax relief" is, in this context, another term for "tax cut."
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 normally claim that they will have skilled lawyers negotiate with the IRS or Michigan 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 St. Clair Shores, Michigan
Some con-artists in St. Clair Shores, Michigan say that they have some special technique that authorizes you to reduce the amount of taxes you're legally obligated to pay, or that they can erase any tax debt that you have incurred.
In the majority of cases, however, tax relief scammers in St. Clair Shores, Michigan have no actual ability to reduce your legal liability to pay your taxes. However, these scams also have many common factors which tend to be dead giveaways of their fraudulent nature, making them fairly easy to avoid if you are extremely vigilant.
Probably the strongest indication that a tax relief organization is a scam is a guarantee that they can deliver a particular result. If anyone makes an unequivocal promise that they can excuse your tax debt, they are lying to you, plain and simple. This is because it is impossible to honestly make such a promise. The fact is, most people are not qualified for any IRS programs that let some taxpayers reduce their tax liability. This goes for most people in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, as well.
And if a tax relief organization demands up-front payment, this should raise a big red flag for you. Many scammers in St. Clair Shores, whether they're promising tax relief, or anything else, will take your money, and then disappear, without even pretending to try to assist you. The worst of the worst will also take the money you agreed to pay them, and then make unauthorized charges to your credit card, or withdrawals from your bank account.
How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in St. Clair Shores, Michigan Help?
If you find that you are unable to pay your taxes, through no fault of your own, you may be tempted to answer an advertisement for a "tax relief" company. Before that, you should speak with a St. Clair Shores, Michigan tax lawyer.
A good St. Clair Shores, Michigan tax attorney can give you honest, unbiased legal advice that will be useful in handling any problem you have with your taxes. Of course, as you probably know, honest advice is, more often than not, the opposite of what one wants to hear, even if it is more useful than whatever puffery you'll hear from a scammer. Plus, in the extremely unlikely event that your tax attorney defrauds you, it will be much easier to seek legal action against a licensed attorney than against some scammer who probably doesn't use his or her real name.