Tax Evasion Lawyers in Cottage Grove

Tax evasion is a crime in Wisconsin. Tax evasion involves purposely failing to pay one's taxes.

One of the most common prevalent tactics of tax evaders in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin is to attempt to make it appear to an outside observer that their tax liability is lower than it truly is, such as by concealing income, fraudulently transferring property, and others.

"Tax evasion" should be distinguished from "tax avoidance." Tax evasion is the prohibited act of trying to hide one's tax liability. Tax avoidance, on the other hand, is perfectly legal, and simply involves using the tax laws strategically, to reduce one's actual tax liability as much as possible.

Penalties for Tax Evasion in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin

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

Punishments for evading one's taxes in Cottage Grove 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.

Normally, 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 deliberate evasion, as opposed to an honest error in accounting.

But, if the government can prove that a defendant in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin purposely concealed income, in order to get out of paying taxes, a court will most likely impose the heaviest penalties allowed by law, including enormous fines, and several years in prison.

A Cottage Grove, Wisconsin Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

Attorneys in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin who practice tax law can help you stay in compliance with your tax obligations. This is a good way to ensure that you won't be suspected of tax evasion in the first place.

However, if you're truly accused of tax evasion, you will need a Cottage Grove, Wisconsin 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.