Tax Court in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Find the right Tax Court attorney in Chattanooga, TN

Tax Court Lawyers in Chattanooga

Tax Courts serve the same purpose as any other court: they're there to resolve legal disagreements in a fair and orderly fashion. Tax courts are simply specialized to take tax disputes.

Federal tax issues are overseen by the United States Tax Court, which has branches all over the U.S. So, the U.S. Tax Court almost certainly has a courthouse in or around Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The U.S. Tax Court is where disagreements arising under federal tax law are resolved, if the tax debt in question has not already been paid. The U.S. District Court, which is the federal court of general jurisdiction, can only hear tax cases after the tax has been paid. This rule is meant to guarantee that as many tax issues as possible are really decided in tax court, rather than the overworked District Courts.

Tax Court Procedure in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Tax court claims in Chattanooga, Tennessee can arise from any tax disagreement, such as when a taxpayer believes that the conclusions of a tax audit were in error, or that they do not owe as much money as the IRS claims that they do.

U.S. Tax Court judges are assigned by the President. Their terms of office are legally set at 15 years. Nonetheless, the vast majority of tax court judges are simply assigned again when their terms run out, and there is no limit on the number of 15-year terms they can serve. As a practical matter, thus, Tax Court judges effectively serve life terms.

In the U.S., tax courts have some distinct features. Most interestingly, individuals who are not licensed attorneys in Tennessee, or anywhere else, are, in some cases, authorized to represent clients before tax courts. Non-attorneys who practice before tax court are almost always accountants, and any non-lawyer who wants to practice before the U.S. tax court must pass a challenging written exam that tests their understanding of American tax law. Licensed attorneys, however, may practice before the tax court without taking this exam.

Most commonly, a resident of Chattanooga, Tennessee will find themselves in tax court because the relevant tax authority (usually the IRS), suspects that they have not paid all of the taxes that they are required to pay. To initiate a legal action against the taxpayer, the IRS will send them a letter laying out its allegations. Once this is received, the taxpayer has a moderate period of time (about 90 days) to go to the nearest U.S. tax court and respond. If you find yourself in this position, and want to dispute the allegations against you, you MUST file a response in a tax court in a timely manner. If you don't, you can easily lose your right to ever dispute those allegations again.

Do I Need a Chattanooga, Tennessee Tax Attorney?

As mentioned earlier, federal law lets some non-attorneys practice before U.S. Tax Courts. But tax law can be extremely complex, and the practice of this area of law is highly specialized - so much so that most lawyers who practice tax law do not practice in any other field.

If you have to go to tax court for whatever reason, you should almost certainly speak with a seasoned tax attorney in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Even though some non-lawyers are technically permitted to represent you in tax court, there are distinct advantages to hiring a lawyer, even if a non-attorney can provide you with competent representation. The main advantage is the fact that all attorneys are tightly regulated by their state bar associations, and if they botch your case, you may have more legal recourse against an attorney than you would against a non-attorney.

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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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