Monday, March 23, 2009

What Does The Term Tax Fraud Cover?

By Bruce Willis

It is surprising just how many people try to escape their duty to pay tax to the federal government each year. Anyone found doing this is committing an offence under the tax laws of the United States. Each person and business has a duty to pay taxes to their government so it is able to function properly and fulfill its duty to its citizens. These types of offences are termed as white-collar crimes in legal circles, as ordinary citizens with no previous criminal record usually commit these crimes.

The term Tax Fraud covers all the crimes relating to tax that has not been paid for whatever reason, even for those who are just late in submitting their tax returns. Tax fraud lawyers are specialized attorneys that deal with issues of tax fraud and represent clients who are accused of tax fraud.

Unlike other kinds of tax lawyers, tax fraud lawyers do not advise on tax planning or filing of income tax returns. There are two situations where a person or firm will seek their help; when they suspect their affairs are being looked into by the IRS or where they have been formally charged with the offence of tax fraud. The offence, even though serious, does not mean that imprisonment is necessarily the only course of action and a tax fraud lawyer will try to ensure this does not happen.

It is not uncommon for people and even companies to fail in their tax responsibilities through lack of knowledge or understanding of their responsibilities. Some individuals and firms also fall foul of poor advice for their tax planning form the tax specialists they employ to represent them.

If an attorney proves that his client is the innocent victim of wrong tax advice by some tax consultants, it's likely that the charges against them might get dropped or a lenient sentence might be passed. To ensure you do not become a victim of tax fraud, ensure that the person or company you employ to look after your tax liabilities is fully trained and accredited.

The normal approach by a tax fraud lawyer will be too reason the argument that prosecuting the individual or company will not serve the public interest as recovery of the taxes owed is less likely. Often this line of reasoning works if presented by a good lawyer as it means that the offender will still pay any tax that is owed without the financial burden of paying for them to be in prison.

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