Tax Evasion Lawyers in Stony Brook

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

There are a few strategies that tax evaders use in Stony Brook, 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 number of ways to conceal income for the purpose of evading one's tax liability, but all of them are illegal.

"Tax evasion" should not be confused with "tax avoidance." Tax evasion is the act of deliberately attempting to get out of one's tax liability through illegal means. Tax avoidance is perfectly legal, and involves utilizing legal strategies (such as taking advantage of deductions and tax credits) to reduce one's legal tax liability. However, someone engaging in tax avoidance typically intends to pay whatever they end up owing, even as they try to reduce the amount they owe.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in Stony Brook, New York

Under the laws of New York, as well as federal law, tax evasion is a very egregious criminal offense.

Punishments for evading one's taxes in Stony Brook range from paying back taxes plus interest (a relatively mild punishment) all the way up to years in prison, and penalties in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Most often, tax evasion - if it's a first offense and the tax liability is small - will not be cause for huge fines or imprisonment. This is particularly true if the prosecution can't definitively prove that that the defendant's failure to pay taxes was intentional, as opposed to an honest mistake.

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

A Stony Brook, New York Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

An attorney in Stony Brook, New York specializing in tax law can help you adhere 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 Stony Brook, 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.