If you feel you will likely be in need of tax relief in the near future it will be important for you to understand what factors are looked at when the government decides whether or not to offer relief.Being proactive in your attempts to seek out tax relief is a very important factor which is considered when determining whether or not to offer the relief. What this means is that if you have the knowledge that you will not be able to pay back your taxes you should reach out proactively to the government to explain to them what your circumstances are and that you would like to have some assistance or relief offered to you. This will cast you in a positive light and increase the likelihood that you will be extended assistance.Your current income is a factor which is considered very heavily when looking at the possibility of offering tax relief. This is to say that your obligation to the government may be too great for your current circumstances. One example of when this can be true is if you were running a small business which has gone bankrupt. The amount of money which was owed to the government was determined based on the amount of money which your company was producing. If you are no longer producing any money from your company and are in stead relying on your personal wages it may be that you simply do not make enough money to pay back this tax. In this case with proper auditing it is likely that it will be determined that you should be relieved of your tax debt because you are unable to pay it.