Tax Evasion Lawyers in Bainbridge Island

Tax evasion is a crime in Washington. Tax evasion involves deliberately failing to pay one's taxes.

Usually, tax evasion is accompanied by an attempt to make it appear to the government of Bainbridge Island, Washington 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.

You should not confuse "tax evasion" with "tax avoidance." Tax evasion is illegal, and involves deliberately failing to pay one's taxes which they lawfully owe. Tax avoidance, on the other hand, is legal, and involves using legal strategies to lower one's legal tax liability. For example, strategically using deductions and tax credits to lower the amount of money you are legally obliged to pay, is an example of tax avoidance, assuming you actually pay your tax bill, whatever it ends up being.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in Bainbridge Island, Washington

Under federal and state law, including the laws of Washington, tax evasion is a very severe crime.

Punishments for evading one's taxes in Bainbridge Island 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.

However, the punishments for tax evasion, especially first offenses involving relatively small amounts of money, is not normally 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 show that a defendant in Bainbridge Island, Washington 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 Bainbridge Island, Washington Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

A tax attorney in Bainbridge Island, Washington 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 clearly what one's tax liability is, and a tax attorney can help.

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