Tax Evasion Lawyers in Forest Lake

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 Forest Lake, Minnesota. One of the most common 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 conceal 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 Forest Lake, Minnesota

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

Punishments for evading one's taxes in Forest Lake 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.

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

But, if the government can prove that a defendant in Forest Lake, Minnesota deliberately concealed income, in order to get out of paying taxes, a court will most likely impose the heaviest penalties allowed by law, including enormous fines, and several years in prison.

A Forest Lake, Minnesota Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

Tax lawyers in Forest Lake, Minnesota can help anyone from an individual to a big business pay their taxes more quickly, and adhere with federal and local tax laws.

However, if you're actually accused of tax evasion, you will need a Forest Lake, 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.