Tax Relief Lawyers in Riverhead

"Tax relief" is a term used to describe a few different concepts in Riverhead, New York. It occasionally 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, vowing that they'll reduce tax rates. Essentially, "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 brilliant 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 Riverhead, New York

Some con-artists in Riverhead, New York say that they have some secret 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 Riverhead, New York have no actual capacity to reduce your legal liability to pay your taxes. However, these scams also have various 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 explicit guarantee that they can lower your tax bill. While there are some legal ways to try and reduce your tax requirement, including negotiating with the IRS, there is no guarantee that they will prevail. 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 Riverhead, 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 Riverhead will not even pretend to try and help you. Instead, they simply take the money and disappear, sometimes after making further, and unlawful, charges to your credit card or withdrawals from your bank account.

How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Riverhead, New York Help?

If you owe a huge amount in back taxes, and are unable to pay them, it may well be helpful to seek the advice of a Riverhead, New York tax attorney.

If you hire a reputable Riverhead, New York tax lawyer, your attorney will be able to provide you with honest advice about your legal situations vis-à-vis your taxes. Fair warning: honest legal advice occasionally doesn't involve telling you what you want to hear. However, the advice of an attorney will be far more useful than anything most "tax relief" companies tell you. Plus, in the very rare event that your attorney tries to defraud you, you have much more legal recourse against them than you would have against some fly-by-night "tax relief" company.