Tax Evasion Lawyers in Niagara County

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

There are a few strategies that tax evaders use in Niagara County, New York. One of the most common tactics is to make it appear that the taxpayer has less taxable income than they actually do. There are a wide variety of ways to conceal income for the purpose of evading one's tax liability, but all of them are illegal.

"Tax evasion" should be distinguished from "tax avoidance." Tax evasion is the illegal act of trying to hide one's tax liability. Tax avoidance, on the other hand, is perfectly legal, and simply involves using the tax laws strategically, to reduce one's actual tax liability as much as possible.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in Niagara County, New York

The federal government and the laws of New York impose severe penalties for tax evasion - treating it as an extremely serious crime.

In Niagara County, the punishments for tax evasion can range from a court order to pay back taxes, plus a small fine, and range all the way up to fines in the tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars, and imprisonment.

In most cases, particularly when the amount of taxes evaded is small, and it's a first offense, the punishment will usually be fairly mild. It will usually result in an order to pay the taxes the defendant owes, plus a small financial penalty. This is especially likely when it cannot be proven that the failure to pay taxes was purposeful.

But if the government is able to definitively prove that a defendant in Niagara County, New York intentionally engaged in fraud to get out of paying taxes, a tax court is highly unlikely to show any leniency, and may well sentence the defendant to prison time.

A Niagara County, New York Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

An attorney in Niagara County, New York specializing in tax law can help you comply with all the tax laws that apply to you, which makes it very unlikely that you'll ever be accused of tax evasion in the first place.

However, if you're actually accused of tax evasion, you will need a Niagara County, New York tax attorney more than ever. If you are, in fact, innocent, a tax attorney can give you the best possible chance of being found not guilty.