IGNORING THE CCO CAN BE A RISKY BUSINESS

Recent changes in HMRC’s Risk Assessment process means that a company or partnership that fails to address the Corporate Criminal Offence (CCO) requirements could find themselves facing annual enquiries into their tax affairs. The CCO legislation was introduced just over...

HMRC ignores its own behaviour on “Nudge Letters”

It seems that HMRC is immune to the very behavioural techniques which it has so enthusiastically adopted (such as the use of “nudge letters”) to influence taxpayers’ behaviour in complying with the UK tax legislation. In our blog on nudge...

Deliberate penalties – what’s in a word?

As the public profile of tax compliance continues to grow, HMRC is increasingly under pressure to demonstrate that it is cracking down on tax evasion. This can be achieved through issuing larger numbers of penalties for the more serious failures...

Nudging HMRC to be more transparent with its nudge letters

In recent months, HMRC’s Risk and Intelligence Service (RIS) has once again issued “nudge” letters to individuals who HMRC believes have offshore income and gains that could be liable to UK tax. The “nudge” letters we have seen were issued...

Mazars‎ warns against fraudsters masquerading as HMRC

Members of the public have contacted us regarding suspicious telephone phone calls purporting to be from HM Revenue and Customs Fraud Investigation Service. Those contacted are advised that HMRC is raising an assessment against them and if they would like...

Do you have an interest in or connection to an offshore asset or entity?

If you have an interest in or a connection to an offshore asset or entity (“offshore arrangements”) you are likely to attract the unwanted attention of HM Revenue and Customs (“HMRC”) even though they may have been set up for...

Taxpayer using tax avoidance scheme wins penalty case

The taxpayer, Mr Bayliss, had participated in the ‘Pendulum Long’ tax avoidance scheme operated by Montpelier Tax Consultants which purported to generate capital losses.  This involved the purchase by the taxpayer of a contracts for difference (CFD) from a Seychelles...

PAC reports HMRC must try harder, again!

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in its report of 15 April 2016 is critical of HMRC’s approach to addressing tax evasion which includes concerns over its criminal prosecution policy. To be fair to HMRC, it is not possible to undertake...