Tax Relief Lawyers in Maplewood
"Tax relief" is a term used to describe a few different concepts in Maplewood, New Jersey. It sometimes 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 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 usually claim that they will have proficient 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 Maplewood, New Jersey
Many scammers in Maplewood, New Jersey claim that they can completely relieve you of your obligation 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 Maplewood, New Jersey usually have a few elements that are dead giveaways, which you should always be on the look out for if you're considering hiring someone offering "tax relief."
One of the biggest warning signs that one should look for is an indisputable 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 Maplewood, New Jersey don't qualify for them.
Furthermore, you need to know that anyone demanding payment before they perform any services in Maplewood probably doesn't have your interests in mind. If you pay a scammer up front, they'll probably just run off with your money, and you'll never hear from them again.
How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Maplewood, New Jersey Help?
If you are having trouble paying the taxes that you owe in Maplewood, New Jersey, and are seeking tax relief, you should speak with a qualified local tax attorney before you pay anyone else to help you.
A good Maplewood, New Jersey tax attorney can give you honest, unbiased legal advice that will be useful in handling any problem you have with your taxes. Of course, as you probably know, honest advice is, more often than not, the opposite of what one wants to hear, even if it is more useful than whatever puffery you'll hear from a scammer. Plus, in the extremely unlikely event that your tax attorney defrauds you, it will be much easier to seek legal action against a licensed attorney than against some scammer who probably doesn't use his or her real name.