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A new HMRC taskforce is to tackle tax evasion by restaurants in Scotland. The specialist team will undertake an intensive burst of compliance activity in the coming weeks.
The work follows the introduction last month of an investigative team charged with examining the restaurant trade in London. Another is intended for north west England.
The Revenue is planning to target high-risk businesses with a further nine taskforces in 2011/12, as part of the government’s £900 million investment to tackle tax evasion, avoidance and fraud. Officials aim to raise an additional £7 billion each year by 2014/15.
The SME business unit head for HMRC in Scotland and Northern Ireland, Paul Kennard, said, 'Honest businesses have absolutely nothing to worry about. Only those who choose to break the rules, or deliberately evade the tax they should be paying, will be targeted.
'If you deliberately seek to evade tax we can and will track you down and you’ll face not only a heavy fine, but possibly a criminal prosecution as well.'
