Our Tax Investigations team is headed by two former HM Inspectors of Taxes, Doug Robshaw and Will Silsby. Between them, they have over 68 years of experience in tax dispute resolution in a wide range of situations.
Their expertise in HMRC enquiries is recognised in their appointment to resolve long-running investigations, their involvement in appeals to the First Tier Tax Tribunal and most recently their authorship of the module on HMRC Enquiries in Consult CCH Tax Workflow.
In response to the demands of the Coalition Government, HMRC is expecting its officers to make a 'dash for cash'. Along with their new powers to obtain information and inspect business premises and with a greater readiness to litigate on matters, this is likely to result in HMRC officers opening more enquiries, taking a tougher stand and looking for faster resolution of any tax problems. In that process, your tax affairs could come under scrutiny as a result of an unusual entry in a tax return or computation, information made available to HMRC by a bank or other third party, information provided by a competitor or former employee or following a separate review such as an employment tax check. Or it could just be your turn.
We can help you through the whole process and we can do that either directly for you or by working collaboratively with your other advisers.
Our investigations and enquiries expertise includes the following main areas:
- Voluntary Disclosure - including under an HMRC 'disclosure opportunity'
- Income Tax Self Assessment full and aspect enquiries
- Corporation Tax Self Assessment full and aspect enquiries
- Technical issues
- R&D enquiries
- IR35 enquiries
- Employer compliance disputes including benefits, PAYE and NIC
- Appeals to the First Tier Tax Tribunal
- HMRC VAT disputes
- Capital Gains Tax issues
In addition to dispute resolution work, we can also help you to avoid tax problems in the first case by:
- Explaining how particular regulations apply in your situation
- Advising on your record-keeping obligations
- Providing health-checks on key areas such as employment status
Our Tax Investigations team identifies where it is appropriate to challenge HMRC's approach or findings and fights for the best outcome for our clients. Our successes have included reductions in liabilities and penalties of hundreds of thousands of pounds.