Tax Evasion Lawyers in Providence County

In Rhode Island, "tax evasion" is a crime that involves a willful failure to pay the taxes that the taxpayer legally owes.

One of the most common prevalent tactics of tax evaders in Providence County, Rhode Island is to attempt to make it appear to an outside observer that their tax liability is lower than it truly is, such as by concealing income, fraudulently transferring property, and others.

You may also be familiar with the term "tax avoidance." It is critical 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 Providence County, Rhode Island

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

Punishments for evading one's taxes in Providence County 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.

Normally, 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 establish that a defendant in Providence County, Rhode Island 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 Providence County, Rhode Island Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

Attorneys in Providence County, Rhode Island 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 truly accused of tax evasion, you will need a Providence County, Rhode Island 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.