Tax Audit in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Find the right Tax Audit attorney in Chattanooga, TN

Tax Audit Lawyers in Chattanooga

An "audit" is an administrative proceeding in Chattanooga, Tennessee whereby the IRS, or a local tax-collection agency looks at a person's (or business's) tax filings in more detail than they do in ordinary cases. This is normally done when the tax return has a suspicious discrepancy on it, or if the taxpayer was simply picked at random. It's not uncommon for tax authorities to conduct random audits, providing people with an incentive to be honest on their taxes, knowing that they could be audited at random.

The process of a Chattanooga, Tennessee tax audit is normally pretty straightforward. If and when you are faced with a tax audit, you'll receive a letter from the IRS, or its state equivalent, telling you that you're being audited. Nonetheless, you should not assume that this letter is authentic, because con artists will sometimes send fake audit letters to squeeze money out of innocent taxpayers. You should obtain independent confirmation of the letter's authenticity by searching the Internet for the name of the government agency in question, and contact them for more information.

Once you have confirmed that your audit is authentic, you will be obligated to meet the auditor at an agreed-upon time and place. The auditor will normally inform you about what documents and other proof you need to take to the meeting. At the meeting, they will ask you a long series of questions about your taxes, to clear up the thing they're uncertain about.

Reasons For a Tax Audit in Chattanooga, Tennessee

There are numerous reasons why the federal government, or the government of Tennessee may want to audit a taxpayer.

As mentioned above, an audit can happen simply because a person was chosen for an audit at random. If you are randomly chosen for a tax audit, and you have been straightforward and diligent in gathering your tax documents, it will probably be a quick, painless process, and you likely don't have anything to worry about.

Nonetheless if the IRS or other tax agency suspects actual wrongdoing by a Chattanooga, Tennessee taxpayer, that's a different matter. There are numerous different reasons why a government might determine to audit a taxpayer. The most frequent one is suspicion that they have underreported their income. If a taxpayer buys a massive number of expensive luxury items, but reports little or no income on their tax returns, the government will definitely want to discover where the money to buy all those things came from, and why it hasn't been declared as taxable income.

If you claim such a massive number of deductions that your tax liability is unusually low, you may well be subject to an audit in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A deduction is an allowable reduction in your taxable income, requiring you to pay taxes on a smaller portion of your income. Particular business expenses and charitable donations are frequent sources of tax deductions. However, some people add invalid deductions to their tax returns to reduce their tax burden. If the IRS is suspicious about your deductions, you should make sure you have relevant documentation to back them up.

How Can A Chattanooga, Tennessee Tax Lawyer Help?

If you find yourself being audited in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are sure that you have done everything right in preparing your taxes, then the audit will likely be over rapidly, with no penalties imposed. In cases like this, if anything is found to be wrong with your tax return, it is likely the result of an honest mistake, and the auditor will be aware of this, and will likely give you an opportunity to correct your mistake, without suffering any penalties, with the possible exception of being made to pay interest on any back taxes you owe.

However, there are times when an audit is conducted to investigate far more significant issues. If you find yourself facing allegations from the IRS of serious wrongdoing, and believe yourself to be innocent, you should obtain the advice of a Chattanooga, Tennessee tax attorney immediately.

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Life in Chattanooga

Chattanooga, Tennessee is the 4th largest city in Tennessee, with an a population of about 170,000 people. It is located in Hamilton and Marion Counties.

Chattanooga, TN was founded in 1838 when the United States government, unfortunately, forced the Native American population of the area off of their historical lands, and then established a military base.

Modernly, Chattanooga, TN is undergoing a renaissance, with a concerted effort underway to repair its image, which had been somewhat tarnished over the last few decades, with its industrial economic base disappearing, as happened in many American cities.

Thanks to public and private investment, with many of the major deals negotiated and drafted by Chattanooga, TN lawyers, the city's economy is now a fairly diverse mix of manufacturing and service-based industries. In 2011, Volkswagen opened a manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, TN which cost billion to build, and is expected to employ over 2,000 people when fully operational.

Because of this highly diverse economy, Chattanooga, TN lawyers have a lot to keep themselves busy. So, it should come as no surprise that a Chattanooga, TN lawyer will almost certainly be able to help you with whatever legal problems you may have.

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