Like other Oklahoma City taxpayers, one thing you may dislike more than paying taxes is filling out your income tax forms. The least the IRS could do is make filling out the forms easy, since paying taxes is an obligation. Unfortunately, that probably isn’t going to happen anytime soon.
So, each year, you do your best to file your taxes without making any mistakes. You do your best to include everything the law requires you to and pay what you believe you owe. You may not even realize that you made a mistake until it’s too late.
What mistakes could result in accusations from the IRS?
The following errors on your part could cause the IRS to accuse you of intentionally trying to avoid paying taxes you believe or know you owe:
- Some tax preparers are not as honest as you think. He or she may convince you that you can take certain deductions or credits that you actually do not qualify to take.
- If you file your income tax return with incorrect information or forget to include information, the IRS could believe you were trying to hide something.
- If you fail to report all of your income from all sources, it could get you into trouble, even if you didn’t do it on purpose.
- The earned income credit comes with specific rules. If you incorrectly claim it, an audit may not be far behind.
- Stretching the truth and claiming higher deductions than you actually can.
- When it comes to tax shelters, many of them are too good to be true. The old adage of “buyer beware” often applies to these so-called opportunities.
- It can be difficult to choose the right deductions. If you choose the wrong ones, it could come back to haunt you.
If you can avoid making these mistakes, it would be the best way to avoid any unnecessary entanglements with the IRS. However, if you have already fallen victim to one or more of the above mistakes, you could already be facing scrutiny from the IRS. From that first letter, you may want to take steps to protect rights and yourself. The worst thing you could do is ignore those communications.
If the situation escalates to the point where you are under investigation for tax evasion or tax fraud, you may benefit from consulting with a tax attorney. A thorough review of your situation could reveal the best resolution possible.
