Tax Relief Lawyers in Hillside

"Tax relief" is a term used to describe a few different concepts in Hillside, New Jersey. It sometimes refers to actions that lower the tax rate that some taxpayers are obliged to pay.

When you hear the term "tax relief" used by an elected official, or someone running for office, they're almost always talking about tax cuts, which would hypothetically apply to the speaker's target audience. A tax cut is simply a reduction in the percentage of one's income (or whatever else is being taxed) that they have to pay in taxes.

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 typically claim that they will have skilled lawyers negotiate with the IRS or New Jersey 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 Hillside, New Jersey

Scammers in Hillside, New Jersey will frequently claim, for a fee of course, that they can get you out of your obligation to pay your taxes.

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

One of the biggest warning signs that one should look for is an unequivocal promise that someone can eliminate your tax debt. This is simply not a promise that anyone can honestly make. While the IRS does have programs to advise people who are really unable to pay their back taxes, through no fault of their own, they only apply in the most extreme cases, so the vast majority of taxpayers in Hillside, New Jersey don't qualify for them.

Additionally, any demand for upfront payment, before any actual services are rendered, is another warning sign that you may be dealing with a fraudster. This is because many tax scammers in Hillside will simply take whatever money you give them, and drop off the face of the Earth (figuratively, unfortunately), without doing anything to help you, or even pretending to. Adding insult to injury, if you pay them with a credit card, they may well make additional unauthorized charges to it.

How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Hillside, New Jersey Help?

If you find that you can't pay your taxes, and this is not a result of any fault or irresponsibility on your part, a tax attorney in Hillside, New Jersey may well be able to advise you.

A skilled and reputable tax attorney in Hillside, New Jersey will give you objective legal advice on how to handle a tax law issue. A knowledgeable tax attorney delivering honest advice, however, will tell you the truth, which may not necessarily be what you want to hear. The upside, of course, is that the information they're giving you is actually useful, as opposed to the "advice" given to you by a tax relief scammer, which, if followed, would put you in a worse position than you were before. Plus, you will have a good deal of legal recourse against a tax attorney, in the unlikely event that a licensed attorney defrauds you.