Tax Evasion Lawyers in Livingston

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

There are a few strategies that tax evaders use in Livingston, Texas. One of the most frequent 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 hide 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 unlawful 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 Livingston, Texas

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

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

However, the punishments for tax evasion, particularly first offenses involving relatively small amounts of money, is not normally so severe, particularly 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 show that a defendant in Livingston, Texas intentionally engaged in fraud to get out of paying taxes, a tax court is very unlikely to show any leniency, and may well sentence the defendant to prison time.

A Livingston, Texas Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

Attorneys in Livingston, 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.

Of course, if you've really been accused of tax evasion, you should retain a Livingston, Texas tax lawyer immediately. If you are innocent, a tax attorney will make sure you have the best chance possible at being acquitted.