Investigations

HMRC have renewed their efforts to clampdown on illegal tax dodging, with an upgrade of their approach to monitoring evaders.

The managing serious defaulters programme was launched this week to replace the managing deliberate defaulters scheme that introduced in February 2011 and monitored more than 3,000 business and individuals who had been found to have intentionally evaded tax.

HMRC will use new legislation when criminal prosection is inappropriate

Builders are seen by HMRC as easy targets, claims accountancy provider

Ex parte certain taxpayers (TC2424)

Methods used by HMRC’s affluent unit to target avoidance and evasion by wealthy individuals

An overwhelming majority of accountants believe HMRC should introduce a nationwide amnesty for taxpayers, according to Crowe Clark Whitehill.

A study by the national accountancy firm – intended to measure perceptions and opinions of the Revenue’s current amnesties and taskforces – was told by 96% of respondents that a general disclosure mechanism (GDM) would encourage tax evaders to come clean and put extra money into the public purse.

Andrew Meeson given eight-and-a-half-year sentence

HMRC have launched a crackdown on taxpayers who fail to disclose profits from the sale of residential property, other than their main home, in the UK or abroad.

The department’s new disclosure campaign inivites individuals to come forward with the details of income and gains and pay them in full before 6 September, or face investigation by tax officials.

The Revenue says it will levy reduced penalties on those who make a disclosure, but no details have yet been released.

Tax evaders are being named by HMRC for the first time online. The Revenue has published a first batch of information about “deliberate defaulters” on its website, as officials make use of powers granted by Finance Act 2009, s 94 to warn taxpayers against neglecting their obligations.

New agreement includes three-year disclosure opportunity