Tax Evasion Lawyers in Lake Worth

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

There are a few strategies that tax evaders use in Lake Worth, Texas. One of the most typical tactics is to make it appear that the taxpayer has less taxable income than they actually do. There are a wide number of ways to harbor income for the purpose of evading one's tax liability, but all of them are illegal.

"Tax evasion" should be distinguished from "tax avoidance." Tax evasion is the prohibited act of trying to hide one's tax liability. Tax avoidance, on the other hand, is perfectly legal, and simply involves utilizing the tax laws strategically, to reduce one's actual tax liability as much as possible.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in Lake Worth, Texas

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

Tax evaders in Lake Worth can be punished by multi-year prison sentences, as well as six-figure fines. Of course, there is a wide range of penalties available, with the ones just mentioned representing the most severe options available.

Most often, tax evasion - if it's a first offense and the tax liability is small - will not be cause for huge fines or imprisonment. This is particularly true if the prosecution can't definitively prove that that the defendant's failure to pay taxes was intentional, as opposed to an honest mistake.

However, if the relevant tax authorities are able to demonstrate that a taxpayer in Lake Worth, Texas committed intentional fraud, in order to evade their legal duty to pay taxes, a tax court is probably going to impose a more severe penalty, which may include jail time, and large financial penalties.

A Lake Worth, Texas Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

Attorneys in Lake Worth, Texas who practice tax law can help you stay in conformity with your tax commitments. This is a good way to confirm 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 Lake Worth, Texas 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.