As a Vaughan bankruptcy trustee, we always warn our clients that this time of year can be dangerous. In our last blog we warned you about tax season scams. This week your Vaughan bankruptcy trustee is warning you about the dangers of taking free tax advice. There are many places to get free tax advice, and quite frankly all of them are dubious. Unless the person giving the advice is a trained and licensed financial services professional, the only thing you should do with free tax advice is ignore it, or you could find yourself in a worse financial and legal position than you started in.
It seems that everyone is looking ways to avoid paying income tax. As we discussed in a previous blog The Tax Lawyer; Even A High Profile Tax Fighting Lawyer Has To Pay His Income Tax, there is no miracle cure or quick fix when you owe money to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Yet that doesn’t stop people from posting all sorts of questions on the Internet looking for free advice. The problem is when you post questions in online forums and chat rooms you have no idea who is answering your question and giving you advice. As a Vaughan bankruptcy trustee, many times we are shocked to see the kind of advice is being posted on the Internet also about frequently asked bankruptcy questions.
Although we do not provide income tax advice, as a Vaughan bankruptcy trustee, we do set filters to obtain postings having to do with income tax debt; many questions and answers regarding income tax are posted. The Internet allows for anonymity and the person who has identified himself/herself as a tax professional may in reality be a teenager having some fun. Or worse, perhaps it is a scammer or malware malcontent collecting email addresses! Although the Internet can be a valuable resource, online forums and chat rooms are not the places to seek tax advice. The same applies to well meaning friends, family and colleagues unless they are trained financial services professionals.
Seek financial advice from a trained, experienced, licensed professional ONLY! If you’re experiencing financial difficulties for any reason including monies owed to the CRA contact your Vaughan bankruptcy trustee, Inc. today. Starting Over, Starting Now you can put your financial difficulties behind you.