Tax Evasion Lawyers in Woodbury

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

There are a few strategies that tax evaders use in Woodbury, 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 knowingly 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 Woodbury, New York

The federal government and the laws of New York impose severe penalties for tax evasion - treating it as an extremely serious crime.

Punishments for evading one's taxes in Woodbury 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.

Usually, a first offense of tax evasion, if the amount of tax evaded is relatively small, will not result in jail time or massive fines. This is especially the case if the government has trouble proving that the failure to pay taxes was the result of purposeful evasion, as opposed to an honest error in accounting.

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

Attorneys in Woodbury, 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 Woodbury, 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.