Tax Evasion Lawyers in Thiells

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

There are a few strategies that tax evaders use in Thiells, New York. One of the most frequent tactics is to make it appear that the taxpayer has less taxable income than they actually do. There are a wide variety of ways to hide 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 purposely attempting to get out of one's tax liability through unlawful means. Tax avoidance is perfectly legal, and involves using 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 Thiells, New York

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

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

However, the punishments for tax evasion, especially first offenses involving relatively small amounts of money, is not normally so severe, especially 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 show that a defendant in Thiells, New York intentionally engaged in fraud to get out of paying taxes, a tax court is highly unlikely to show any leniency, and may well sentence the defendant to prison time.

A Thiells, New York Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

Attorneys in Thiells, New York who practice tax law can help you stay in compliance with your tax obligations. This is a good way to ensure that you won't be suspected of tax evasion in the first place.

However, if you're really accused of tax evasion, you will need a Thiells, 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.