Tax Evasion Lawyers in Faribault

Within Minnesota "tax evasion" is the crime of failing to pay the taxes that they owe.

There are a few strategies that tax evaders use in Faribault, Minnesota. One of the most typical tactics is to make it appear that the taxpayer has less taxable income than they actually do. There are a wide number of ways to harbor income for the purpose of evading one's tax liability, but all of them are illegal.

You should not confuse "tax evasion" with "tax avoidance." Tax evasion is illegal, and involves deliberately failing to pay one's taxes which they lawfully owe. Tax avoidance, on the other hand, is legal, and involves utilizing legal strategies to lower one's legal tax liability. For example, strategically using deductions and tax credits to lower the amount of money you are legally obliged to pay, is an example of tax avoidance, assuming you actually pay your tax bill, whatever it ends up being.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in Faribault, Minnesota

Both federal law and the law of Minnesota treat tax evasion as a significant criminal offense.

Punishments for evading one's taxes in Faribault range from paying back taxes plus interest (a relatively mild punishment) all the way up to years in prison, and penalties in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Normally, an initial offense of tax evasion, if the amount of tax evaded is comparatively small, will not result in jail time or massive fines. This is particularly the case if the government has trouble proving that the failure to pay taxes was the result of willful evasion, as opposed to an honest error in accounting.

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

A Faribault, Minnesota Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

Attorneys in Faribault, Minnesota who practice tax law can help you stay in conformity with your tax commitments. This is a good way to confirm that you won't be suspected of tax evasion in the first place.

However, if you're truly accused of tax evasion, you will need a Faribault, Minnesota 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.