Tax Relief Lawyers in Madison

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

When you hear the term "tax relief" used by an elected official, or someone running for office, they're almost exclusively talking about tax cuts, which would likely 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 usually claim that they will have experienced 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 Madison, New Jersey

Many scammers in Madison, New Jersey claim that they can completely relieve you of your requirement to pay your taxes - for a fee, of course.

In most cases, however, these people have absolutely no legal means to actually help their "clients" ("victims" is the more accurate term), and will simply take your money and disappear. Thankfully, these scams in Madison, New Jersey usually have a few elements that are dead giveaways, which you should always be on the look out for if you're contemplating hiring someone offering "tax relief."

One of the biggest warning signs that one should look for is an absolute 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 assist people who are truly 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 Madison, New Jersey don't qualify for them.

Also, 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 Madison 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 illegal charges to it.

How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Madison, 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 Madison, New Jersey may well be able to help you.

A competent and reputable tax attorney in Madison, New Jersey will give you objective legal advice on how to handle a tax law issue. A reputable 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.