Tax fraud takes many forms. In the most general sense, it involves an attempt to defraud or the actual defrauding of the state or federal government. Both individuals and businesses can be charged with tax fraud, and the penalties for such offenses vary depending on the unique factors and circumstances involved. That being said, most defendants charged with tax fraud face steep fines, interest, prison time, and other serious penalties.

Some examples of relatively common tax fraud charges include:

• Failure to file state/federal income tax returns
• Failure to pay state or federal tax debts
• Fraudulent tax deduction/tax credit claims
• Willfully lowering tax liability
• Misrepresentation of income (including under-reporting and omitting certain income)
• Hiding assets
• Misrepresentation of personal/business assets
• Failure to report true income
• Failure to remit payroll taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

This is not an exhaustive list. There are many other forms of tax fraud, all of which can result in serious consequences for convicted individuals.