Tax Evasion Lawyers in Oak Hill

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

One of the most common prevalent tactics of tax evaders in Oak Hill, West Virginia 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.

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 Oak Hill, West Virginia

Under the laws of West Virginia, as well as federal law, tax evasion is a very egregious criminal offense.

In Oak Hill, the penalties for tax evasion can range from a court order to pay back taxes, plus a small fine, and range all the way up to penalties in the tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars, and imprisonment.

However, the punishments for tax evasion, particularly first offenses involving relatively small amounts of money, is not typically so severe, particularly when it looks like the failure to pay taxes was the result of an honest mistake, rather than deliberate fraud.

However, if it can be clearly proven that a person or corporation in Oak Hill, West Virginia deliberately attempted to harbor income or assets for the purpose of getting out of taxes, a court will probably throw the book at them, so to speak. This can mean jail sentences measured in years, and fines in the six or seven figures.

A Oak Hill, West Virginia Tax Evasion Lawyer Can Help

Tax lawyers in Oak Hill, West Virginia can help anyone from an individual to a big business pay their taxes more quickly, and adhere with federal and local tax laws.

In the unfortunate event that you're truly charged with tax evasion, it's imperative that you hire a knowledgeable tax attorney in Oak Hill, 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.