Tax Evasion Lawyers in East Meadow

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

Most commonly, people who try to evade their taxes in East Meadow, New York will take steps to hide their assets and income, or transferring their property to other legal entities in a fraudulent manner.

You may also be acquainted with the term "tax avoidance." It is crucial that you don't confuse this with "tax evasion." Tax avoidance is perfectly legal, and is probably something that every taxpayer does whenever they file, whether they know it or not. It involves employing legal methods to make one's tax liability as small as possible, taking advantages of deductions and other tax breaks.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in East Meadow, New York

Both federal law and the law of New York treat tax evasion as a severe criminal offense.

In East Meadow, tax evasion can result in anything from a comparatively small fine, and a court order to pay any back taxes as well as interest, all the way up to financial penalties in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, as well as jail time.

However, the punishments for tax evasion, particularly first offenses involving relatively small amounts of money, is not normally so severe, particularly when it looks like the failure to pay taxes was the result of an honest mistake, rather than deliberate fraud.

But if the government is able to definitively show that a defendant in East Meadow, New York 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 East Meadow, New York Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

Attorneys in East Meadow, New York who practice tax law can help you stay in conformity with your tax commitments. This is a good way to confirm that you won't be suspected of tax evasion in the first place.

Of course, if you've really been accused of tax evasion, you should retain an East Meadow, New York tax lawyer immediately. If you are innocent, a tax attorney will make sure you have the best chance possible at being acquitted.