Tax Evasion Lawyers in Tarrytown

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 Tarrytown, New York. One of the most typical 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 harbor 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 willfully attempting to get out of one's tax liability through prohibited 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 Tarrytown, New York

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

Punishments for evading one's taxes in Tarrytown 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.

However, the punishments for tax evasion, particularly first offenses involving relatively small amounts of money, is not typically so severe, particularly when it looks like the failure to pay taxes was the result of an honest mistake, rather than deliberate fraud.

But if the government is able to definitively establish that a defendant in Tarrytown, 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 Tarrytown, New York Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

A Tarrytown, New York attorney who concentrates in tax law can help ensure that you are in conformity with all applicable tax laws, making an accusation of tax evasion less likely.

However, if you're truly accused of tax evasion, you will need a Tarrytown, 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.