Tax Relief Lawyers in Traverse City

The term "tax relief" can refer to numerous different things in Traverse City, 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, assuring that they'll reduce tax rates. Essentially, "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 experienced 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 Traverse City, Michigan

Some con-artists in Traverse City, 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.

But you should beware: no honest tax relief business in Traverse City, Michigan will make such promises, because they know it's almost always impossible to deliver on them. Luckily, there are several features you can look for to help you spot - and avoid - tax relief scammers.

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 absolute 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 help people who are absolutely unable to pay for their taxes, they are only available to very small subset of the population, and most Traverse City, Michigan taxpayers aren't qualified to participate in them.

Another red flag to look for is a demand of a large up-front payment. Many tax relief scammers in Traverse City will not even pretend to try and assist you. Rather, they simply take the money and disappear, sometimes after making further, and illegal, charges to your credit card or withdrawals from your bank account.

How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Traverse City, 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 talk with a Traverse City, Michigan tax lawyer.

A good Traverse City, 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 likely doesn't use his or her real name.