Tax Relief Lawyers in Bristol

The term "tax relief" can mean a few different things. Sometimes, it's used to refer to action that lowers the amount of taxes that people or businesses are obligated to pay in Bristol, Virginia, or elsewhere.

When a politician or government official uses the term "tax relief," they are normally referring to tax cuts, which are simply a reduction in the tax rate for everyone, or some people.

However, many people associate the phrase "tax relief" with individuals, corporations, or law firms that offer services claiming to reduce or eliminate one's tax liability - getting them out of their obligation to pay the taxes. Most of the time, they'll say that they have proficient negotiators on their staff who can negotiate with the tax collectors in Virginia or the IRS, to lower your tax bill. Some of these businesses are straightforward, and have the best interests of their customers in mind. However, many of them are scams.

Tax Relief Scams in Bristol, Virginia

Many scammers in Bristol, Virginia claim that they can completely absolve you of your obligation to pay your taxes - for a fee, of course.

But buyer beware: these scammers in Bristol, Virginia, and elsewhere, cannot possibly deliver on their promises, and they know it. Fortunately, most tax relief scams have a few common factors that can give them away to vigilant consumers.

There is one warning sign that virtually guarantees that the tax relief company you're dealing with intends to defraud you: if they make an indisputable guarantee that they can lower your tax bill. While there are some legal ways to try and reduce your tax obligation, including negotiating with the IRS, there is no guarantee that they will succeed. And although the IRS does have programs to help people who are absolutely unable to pay for their taxes, they are only available to very small subset of the population, and most Bristol, Virginia taxpayers aren't qualified to participate in them.

Additionally, you need to know that anyone demanding payment before they perform any services in Bristol probably doesn't have your interests in mind. If you pay a scammer up front, they'll probably just run off with your money, and you'll never hear from them again.

How Can a Tax Relief Attorney in Bristol, Virginia Help?

If you find that you are unable to pay your taxes, through no fault of your own, you may be tempted to answer an advertisement for a "tax relief" company. Before that, you should speak with a Bristol, Virginia tax lawyer.

A good Bristol, Virginia tax attorney can give you honest, unbiased legal advice that will be useful in handling any problem you have with your taxes. Of course, as you probably know, honest advice is, more often than not, the opposite of what one wants to hear, even if it is more useful than whatever puffery you'll hear from a scammer. Plus, in the extremely unlikely event that your tax attorney defrauds you, it will be much easier to seek legal action against a licensed attorney than against some scammer who probably doesn't use his or her real name.