Tax Relief Lawyers in Highland

"Tax relief" is a term used to describe a few different concepts in Highland, New York. 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.

Increasingly, however, the general public is being inundated with advertisements on the Internet, the radio, and in print, from companies offering "tax relief" to consumers who owe back taxes in amounts that will be challenging or impossible to pay back. These companies claim to have some unique technique that can get New York residents out of paying their taxes, or at least negotiate their final tax bill down to a smaller amount. Some of these companies are legitimate, but many of them are total frauds.

Tax Relief Scams in Highland, New York

Many scammers in Highland, New York claim that they can completely discharge you of your obligation to pay your taxes - for a fee, of course.

However, in many cases, these people have no ability or intent to advise their "clients," and will simply take the money and run. In order to spot a tax relief scam, there are a few things that residents of Highland, New York can look for.

Probably the strongest indication that a tax relief organization is a scam is a guarantee that they can deliver a specific result. If anyone makes an unequivocal promise that they can absolve your tax debt, they are lying to you, plain and simple. This is because it is impossible to honestly make such a promise. The fact is, most people are not suitable for any IRS programs that let some taxpayers reduce their tax liability. This goes for most people in Highland, New York, as well.

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 Highland 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 Highland, New York Help?

If you are having trouble paying the taxes that you owe in Highland, New York, and are seeking tax relief, you should speak with a reputable local tax attorney before you pay anyone else to help you.

A good Highland, New York 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.