The old adage applies here: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Be careful to seek expert advice before you participate in a scheme that offers instant wealth or freedom from your obligation to pay taxes. Participating in a tax evasion scheme can be very costly.Because the penalties for tax evasion can be severe, you will want to be sure you are in compliance with tax law.Consulting a reputable tax attorney is advisable, especially in the United States, where tax law can be quite complicated.A competent tax attorney can be quite helpful in audit situations, as well

More attention and government enforcement is focusing on ways to close the “tax gap.” The tax gap is the difference between the amount of tax legally owed by individuals, corporations and other entities, and the amount actually collected by the government.In the United States, the tax gap is currently estimated at over $300 billion.

Section 7201 of the Internal Revenue Code states that, “Any person who willfully attempts in any manner to evade or defeat any tax imposed by this title or the payment thereof shall, in addition to other penalties provided by law, be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $100,000 ($500,000 in the case of a corporation), or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution.” There is no statute of limitations on civil actions, which mean that there is no limit on how long the IRS can seek taxpayers and demand payment of taxes.However, for Federal tax crimes, there is a statute of limitations of six years.