Tax Evasion Lawyers in Bethel Park
In Pennsylvania, "tax evasion" is a crime that involves a deliberate failure to pay the taxes that the taxpayer legally owes.
Typically, tax evasion is accompanied by an attempt to make it appear to the government of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania that one's tax liability is lower than it actually is. This can include concealing income, making fraudulent transfers of property, and other illegal activities.
You may also be acquainted with the term "tax avoidance." It is necessary that you don't confuse this with "tax evasion." Tax avoidance is perfectly legal, and is probably something that every taxpayer does whenever they file, whether they know it or not. It involves employing legal methods to make one's tax liability as small as possible, taking advantages of deductions and other tax breaks.
Penalties for Tax Evasion in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania
Both federal law and the law of Pennsylvania treat tax evasion as a serious criminal offense.
Punishments for evading one's taxes in Bethel Park 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 usually 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 can prove that a defendant in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania willfully concealed income, in order to get out of paying taxes, a court will most likely impose the heaviest penalties allowed by law, including enormous fines, and several years in prison.
A Bethel Park, Pennsylvania Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help
Attorneys in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania who practice tax law can help you stay in conformity with your tax commitments. This is a good way to confirm that you won't be suspected of tax evasion in the first place.
However, if you're actually accused of tax evasion, you will need a Bethel Park, Pennsylvania 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.