Tax Relief Lawyers in New Brunswick
"Tax relief" is a term used to describe a few different concepts in New Brunswick, 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 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 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 New Brunswick, New Jersey
Many scammers in New Brunswick, New Jersey claim that they can completely discharge you of your obligation to pay your taxes - for a fee, of course.
But buyer beware: these scammers in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and elsewhere, cannot possibly deliver on their promises, and they know it. Thankfully, most tax relief scams have a few common factors that can give them away to vigilant consumers.
There is one warning sign that virtually guarantees that the tax relief company you're dealing with intends to defraud you: if they make an unequivocal guarantee that they can lower your tax bill. While there are some legal ways to try and reduce your tax obligation, including negotiating with the IRS, there is no guarantee that they will succeed. And although the IRS does have programs to advise people who are really unable to pay for their taxes, they are only available to very small subset of the population, and most New Brunswick, New Jersey taxpayers aren't suitable to participate in them.
Another red flag to look for is a demand of a large up-front payment. Many tax relief scammers in New Brunswick will not even pretend to try and advise you. Alternatively, they simply take the money and disappear, sometimes after making additional, and unauthorized, charges to your credit card or withdrawals from your bank account.
How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in New Brunswick, New Jersey Help?
If you find that you are unable to pay your taxes, through no fault of your own, you may be tempted to answer an advertisement for a "tax relief" company. Before that, you should speak with a New Brunswick, New Jersey tax lawyer.
A skilled and reputable tax attorney in New Brunswick, 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.