Tax Evasion Lawyers in Big Stone Gap

Tax evasion is a crime in Virginia. Tax evasion involves willfully failing to pay one's taxes.

Usually, tax evasion is accompanied by an attempt to make it appear to the government of Big Stone Gap, Virginia that one's tax liability is lower than it actually is. This can include concealing income, making fraudulent transfers of property, and other illegal activities.

"Tax evasion" should not be confused with "tax avoidance." Tax evasion is the act of willfully attempting to get out of one's tax liability through unlawful means. Tax avoidance is perfectly legal, and involves using legal strategies (such as taking advantage of deductions and tax credits) to reduce one's legal tax liability. However, someone engaging in tax avoidance typically intends to pay whatever they end up owing, even as they try to reduce the amount they owe.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in Big Stone Gap, Virginia

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

Punishments for evading one's taxes in Big Stone Gap range from paying back taxes plus interest (a relatively mild punishment) all the way up to years in prison, and fines in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Usually, a first offense of tax evasion, if the amount of tax evaded is relatively small, will not result in jail time or massive fines. This is especially the case if the government has trouble proving that the failure to pay taxes was the result of purposeful evasion, as opposed to an honest error in accounting.

But if the government is able to definitively show that a defendant in Big Stone Gap, Virginia 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 Big Stone Gap, Virginia Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

An attorney in Big Stone Gap, Virginia specializing in tax law can help you comply with all the tax laws that apply to you, which makes it very unlikely that you'll ever be accused of tax evasion in the first place.

However, if you're really accused of tax evasion, you will need a Big Stone Gap, Virginia 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.