William D. Hartsock, ESQ.
Certified Tax Law Specialist
858.481.4844 call now for a free consultation.
With the new stipulations surrounding the 2011 Voluntary Disclosure Initiative, the IRS is making sure to eliminate any remaining illegal offshore accounts. The new measures are attracting global attention and have left many Americans with Swiss bank accounts seeking sound advice from reputable tax attorney agencies. Continue reading
Back in 2009, the IRS announced a special Voluntary Disclosure Initiative that was only available through August 31, 2009 (2009 OVDP). This program allowed taxpayers with offshore bank accounts and hidden assets to come forward and report previously undisclosed items. The Voluntary Disclosure Initiative enabled taxpayers to “become compliant, avoid tax evasion penalties and generally eliminate the risk of criminal prosecution” (IRS.gov) Continue reading
I’m sure the excitement of 2011 arriving was more about starting a new year than it was about filing your taxes. But to be honest, we couldn’t be more excited about this year’s income tax deadline. Why? Well, because we have very exciting news for some people. All those born on April 15th no longer have to coordinate this year’s birthday bash with filing their taxes. They have graciously passed the honor to those born on April 18th. That’s right—the deadline for filing your 2011 taxes has been officially moved from Aril 15th to April 18th. Continue reading
When you’re in trouble with the IRS, the last thing you want is a tax settlement company kicking you when you’re down. But how can you avoid getting scammed by an unethical tax settlement company? We’ve put together a list of the top 5 ways you can spot one:
1. They make outrageous claims or promise too-good-to-be-true results.
You know the saying, “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” And it’s no different with a tax settlement company. If they tell you they can miraculously negotiate your tax audit away, without hearing any of the details of your case, it’s probably a scam.
2. You learned about them from TV…at 2am.
Sure, everyone needs to advertise their business. But if you saw their commercial on TV between the late, late, late show and a hair remover infomercial, they’re not keeping the best company. Same goes for if they have a snazzy spokesperson yelling at you to “CALL NOW!!!!” A good, honest tax attorney or tax settlement company lets their work speak for itself.
3. They tell you you’re going to settle, before you explain your case.
Sometimes what seems like a massive tax problem to you is actually just a simple mix-up that can be resolved with a few forms sent to the IRS. A skilled and experienced San Diego tax attorney will always ask you questions regarding whether you really owe taxes first, before discussing an offer-in-compromise settlement. Unscrupulous tax settlement companies aren’t actually interested in resolving your issues; they just want the fastest solution – settlement. If the company doesn’t ask questions regarding the taxes you owe, and immediately suggests a settlement during your initial consultation, you should leave immediately.
4. You have a different case representative every time you call.
If you have a different representative working on your case every time you call the company, you are either dealing with a company that has heavy employee turnover (and terrible HR issues), or the company doesn’t care about your case and how it is handled. This is this person that you are trusting with your income tax audit and who is representing you to the IRS, so if you don’t trust your representative, or can’t keep the same one. Change companies immediately!
5. They have a lot of customer complaints.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but a lot of people don’t research tax settlement companies before choosing one. Go online and check out what people are saying about the company; if it’s all complaints and bad news, it’s time to choose a different company.
There are many honest and ethical tax attorneys and settlement companies out there who won’t take advantage of your financial situation. When searching for a settlement company, just remember these top 5 ways on how to spot an unscrupulous settlement company and you’ll find a good company to take care of your financial issues with the IRS.
What are the Top Tax Crimes?
Most people wonder what we’re talking about when we say we help individuals and businesses with tax issues, tax appeals and tax crimes. What is a tax crime? Well, it can be anything from failing to file your taxes to perjury to money laundering to bribery.
In our experience, the most common tax crimes are:
1. Tax Evasion – In most basic terms this means a person doesn’t file their taxes, or files their taxes inaccurately, claiming a large number of deductions in proportion to their income or declaring a very small income when they really have a great amount of assets.
2. Failure to File Tax Returns – While this sounds a lot like tax evasion, it’s a lot simpler. Most tax evasion involves people filing their taxes but with inaccuracies. Failure to file tax returns means you are required to file taxes, but you don’t file them by the IRS’ deadline.
3. False Statements – False statements could mean false statements either on a tax return or statements made to an IRS Revenue Agent, Revenue Officer or Special Agent. This does not include accidental inaccuracies; it must be proven that you willfully made untrue statements and knew they were false in order to be convicted of making false statements.
4. Failure to Pay Taxes (Trust Fund Recovery Penalty) – The trust fund recovery penalty refers to the income taxes, Medicare taxes and social security taxes that each employer is required to withhold from their employees’ paychecks. If they do not submit these withholdings to the IRS at the end of the year, all “responsible persons” are required to pay them.
5. Money Laundering – While not technically a tax crime, money laundering is the practice of concealing the source, identity or destination of illegally obtained money, and is generally relevant or linked to a tax case.
6. Conspiracy of a Tax Crime – Conspiracy can apply to any crime, but conspiracy of a tax crime involves entering into an agreement or partnership with someone else to do something which, if actually carried out, would amount to a tax crime.
If you have been accused of any of these tax crimes, or are involved with any other tax issues, we can help. When facing an investigation of any sort by the IRS, it is always best to hire a professional tax attorney from TaxLawFirm.net. A criminal tax attorney from TaxLawFirm.net can help you avoid common mistakes and ensure that you receive the best legal representation possible, so that a small mistake or inaccuracy on your taxes doesn’t turn into a long drawn-out investigation.
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