Allegations of any type of criminal activity are a serious threat to your personal freedom and virtually every other area of your life. It is critically important to take these matters seriously, especially if there are federal charges at stake. People often misunderstand the true nature of their situation when under investigation for seemingly benign matters, such as tax fraud or other white collar crimes.
Tax fraud does not involve violence or causing harm to another person, and often, it may seem like no one even suffers negatively because of income tax fraud. However, it is a very serious charge that could ultimately result in serious financial penalties and time behind bars. You would be wise to confront these charges with a carefully constructed defense strategy.
What exactly is income tax fraud?
The Internal Revenue Service and other federal authorities takes tax fraud very seriously. Statistics indicate that individual taxpayers are responsible for as many as 75 percent of all cases of tax fraud. Violations of the United States tax code and mistakes on tax forms are not necessarily tax fraud. However, the definition of this illegal matter is the willful evasion of tax laws and attempts to defraud the IRS.
There are many behaviors that could fall under the umbrella term of tax fraud. Some of the most common of these include the following:
- Willful refusal to pay taxes due to the IRS
- Failure to file an income tax return
- Intentional withholding of all income information
- Preparing and filing a false income tax form
- Making fraudulent or false claims
Tax fraud may come in many different forms, but the consequences are always serious. If you are under investigation for fraudulent activities or believe that you could be in trouble after an audit, you would be wise to quickly ascertain your legal options and the benefits of building a strong defense.
You can protect your future
Many Florida residents who get in trouble for tax fraud are individuals who make cash as a large part of their income, such as cash workers, restaurant servers and the self-employed. This is because it is easy to under-report cash income. Other common tax fraud offenders include doctors, lawyers, store owners and more.
The penalties for the crime of tax fraud are steep, and they include prison time, fines and other penalties as allowed by law. You would be wise to understand your defense options as soon as possible, working to protect your future and your freedom after allegations or charges of tax fraud.