Tax Relief Lawyers in Ridge

"Tax relief" is a term used to describe a few different concepts in Ridge, New York. It sometimes refers to actions that lower the tax rate that some taxpayers are obligated to pay.

When the term "tax relief" is used in the media, it's usually in the context of a politician, or someone running for elected office, pledging that they'll reduce tax rates. Basically, "tax relief" is, in this context, another term for "tax cut."

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 York 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 Ridge, New York

Some con-artists in Ridge, New York say that they have some distinct technique that allows you to reduce the amount of taxes you're legally required to pay, or that they can erase any tax debt that you have incurred.

In the majority of cases, however, tax relief scammers in Ridge, New York have no actual ability to reduce your legal liability to pay your taxes. However, these scams also have several common factors which tend to be dead giveaways of their fraudulent nature, making them fairly easy to avoid if you are extremely vigilant.

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 indisputable 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 assist people who are truly unable to pay for their taxes, they are only available to very small subset of the population, and most Ridge, New York taxpayers aren't eligible to participate in them.

Another red flag to look for is a demand of a large up-front payment. Many tax relief scammers in Ridge will not even pretend to try and help you. Instead, they simply take the money and disappear, sometimes after making additional, and unapproved, charges to your credit card or withdrawals from your bank account.

How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Ridge, New York 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 Ridge, New York tax lawyer.

A competent and reputable tax attorney in Ridge, New York will give you objective legal advice on how to handle a tax law issue. A good 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.