Tax Evasion Lawyers in Kanawha County

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

One of the most common frequent tactics of tax evaders in Kanawha County, West Virginia is to attempt to make it appear to an outside observer that their tax liability is lower than it really is, such as by concealing income, fraudulently transferring property, and others.

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 Kanawha County, West Virginia

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

In Kanawha County, tax evasion can result in anything from a relatively small fine, and a court order to pay any back taxes as well as interest, all the way up to financial penalties in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, as well as jail time.

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 Kanawha County, West 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 Kanawha County, West Virginia Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

Attorneys in Kanawha County, West Virginia 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.

In the unfortunate event that you're really charged with tax evasion, it's crucial that you hire a reliable tax attorney in Kanawha County, West Virginia. If you are actually innocent, your tax attorney can help make sure that you have the best chance you can of being found not guilty.