Tax Evasion Lawyers in Seatac

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 Seatac, 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.

It's important not to confuse "tax avoidance" and "tax evasion." They are two different things, but some people mistakenly use them interchangeably. Tax avoidance involves utilizing legal methods, such as tax deductions and exemptions, in a strategic manner, for the purpose of reducing one's tax liability. Tax avoidance is perfectly legal. Tax evasion involves fraud, and a deliberate attempt to avoid meeting one's legal commitments to pay taxes.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in Seatac, Washington

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

Tax evaders in Seatac 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 Seatac, Washington 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 Seatac, Washington Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

Attorneys in Seatac, Washington 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 really accused of tax evasion, you will need a Seatac, Washington 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.