Tax Evasion Lawyers in El Paso County

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

Normally, the strategy employed by tax evaders in El Paso County, Texas is to try and make it look like they have less taxable income than they actually do. This can be done by failing to report income, concealing it, or fraudulently transferring property.

You may also be familiar with the term "tax avoidance." It is important 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 El Paso County, Texas

The laws of the federal government, as well as Texas take tax evasion quite seriously, making it a crime.

In El Paso County, the punishments for tax evasion can range from a court order to pay back taxes, plus a small fine, and range all the way up to fines in the tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars, and imprisonment.

However, the punishments for tax evasion, especially first offenses involving relatively small amounts of money, is not typically so severe, especially when it looks like the failure to pay taxes was the result of an honest mistake, rather than deliberate fraud.

But if the government is able to definitively establish that a defendant in El Paso County, Texas 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 El Paso County, Texas Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

A tax attorney in El Paso County, Texas can ensure that you meet your tax liabilities, which will make an audit, or charge of tax evasion, less likely. Sometimes, it's difficult to determine precisely what one's tax liability is, and a tax attorney can help.

Of course, if you've truly been accused of tax evasion, you should hire an El Paso County, Texas tax lawyer immediately. If you are innocent, a tax attorney will make sure you have the best chance possible at being acquitted.