Tax Evasion Lawyers in St. Charles

Tax Evasion in Missouri is a criminal act in which someone purposely fails to pay their taxes.

Usually, tax evasion is accompanied by an attempt to make it appear to the government of St. Charles, Missouri that one's tax liability is lower than it actually is. This can include concealing income, making fraudulent transfers of property, and other illegal activities.

"Tax evasion" should not be confused with "tax avoidance." Tax evasion is the act of purposely attempting to get out of one's tax liability through unlawful means. Tax avoidance is perfectly legal, and involves utilizing legal strategies (such as taking advantage of deductions and tax credits) to reduce one's legal tax liability. However, someone engaging in tax avoidance typically intends to pay whatever they end up owing, even as they try to reduce the amount they owe.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in St. Charles, Missouri

Under federal and state law, including the laws of Missouri, tax evasion is a very egregious crime.

Punishments for evading one's taxes in St. Charles 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.

Most often, tax evasion - if it's a first offense and the tax liability is small - will not be cause for huge fines or imprisonment. This is particularly true if the prosecution can't definitively prove that that the defendant's failure to pay taxes was intentional, as opposed to an honest mistake.

But if the government is able to definitively show that a defendant in St. Charles, Missouri 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 St. Charles, Missouri Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

An attorney in St. Charles, Missouri specializing in tax law can help you adhere with all the tax laws that apply to you, which makes it very unlikely that you'll ever be accused of tax evasion in the first place.

However, if you're really accused of tax evasion, you will need a St. Charles, Missouri 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.