Tax Relief Lawyers in Smithtown

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

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

However, many people associate the phrase "tax relief" with individuals, corporations, or law firms that offer services claiming to reduce or eliminate one's tax liability - getting them out of their obligation to pay the taxes. Most of the time, they'll say that they have skilled negotiators on their staff who can negotiate with the tax collectors in New York or the IRS, to lower your tax bill. Some of these businesses are forthright, and have the best interests of their customers in mind. However, many of them are scams.

Tax Relief Scams in Smithtown, New York

It is pretty common for scammers in Smithtown, New York to claim that, for a relatively small fee, they will help you get out of paying all of your taxes.

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

One of the strongest indications that you're dealing with a scammer is if they guarantee that they can deliver a particular result. When it comes to negotiating with the IRS or state tax authorities, there are simply no guarantees, and a skilled and ethical tax relief professional will know this, and tell you as much. The unfortunate fact is that, while the IRS does have programs authorizing people to negotiate a lower tax bill, they only apply to people in extreme situations, who are unable to pay their taxes through no fault of their own. Most Smithtown, New York residents will not be suitable.

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

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

A good Smithtown, 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.