Tax Lien Lawyers in Woonsocket
In Woonsocket, Rhode Island, a "lien" is specified as a property right that's authorized to a creditor against a piece of property owned by a debtor, for the purpose of collecting on the debt if the debtor is unwilling or unable to pay. A lien permits its owner to exercise some control over the property that is the subject of the lien. This includes the right to force a sale of the property, and to seize the resulting revenue, and priority access to the property ahead of other creditors.
As you might have gathered, a "tax lien" is simply a lien placed on property by the IRS or Woonsocket, Rhode Island tax authorities, to gather taxes that the property-owner has failed to pay.
However, like any other debt-collection method, a tax lien is worthless if the debtor has no substantial property on which a lien can be imposed. To get around this limitation, most tax liens in Woonsocket, Rhode Island apply to after-acquired property (property acquired after the lien was created). Most other liens only apply to particular pieces of property, or property that the debtor owned at the time the lien went into effect.
Tax Lien Procedure in Woonsocket, Rhode Island
The process of imposing a tax lien on property in Woonsocket, Rhode Island is typically fairly simple. The initial step is for the IRS or local tax agency to decide that a person truly owes back taxes, and that it is worth the effort to impose a lien.
Then, the taxpayer is sent a letter with a "notice and demand," which informs the taxpayer that the IRS has decided that they owe back taxes, and that they have a short period of time (typically 10 days) to pay them without incurring a penalty.
If this deadline expires, and the debtor does not pay the taxes they owe, the lien will take effect automatically. When this results, the IRS or Rhode Island tax agency will have substantial rights against the taxpayer's property.
Nonetheless, in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and anywhere else in America, a tax lien only lasts for 10 years, and then it automatically expires. If the IRS fails to exercise the considerable rights that it has under a tax lien within that period of time, it is assumed that they never intend to do so, and the lien will cease to exist. This ensures that valuable property is only kept out of the economy for a narrow period of time.
How Can a Woonsocket, Rhode Island Tax Lien Lawyer Help?
If you receive notice from the federal government, or the government of Rhode Island that a tax lien has been imposed on your property, some pretty intricate legal issues are necessarily involved.
Thankfully for you, tax lawyers in Woonsocket, Rhode Island are experts at dealing with matters such as these, and can make sure your rights are safeguarded, and advise you on the best way to proceed, if you are facing the prospect of a tax lien.