HMRC Tax Investigation Help
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If you’re looking for HMRC Tax Investigation Help you’ve come to the right place. T M Sterling specialises in resolving serious, and often complex, tax problems. If you haven’t got time to read the information below or need more specific advice, then call us directly. We offer a free initial consultation, during which we can offer much more specific advice.
HMRC Tax Investigations – ‘Why Me?’
Sometimes, our clients have a good idea of why they’re being investigated. This may be something as simple as continually filing late tax returns. Or perhaps you’ve deliberately underdeclared your sales figures (we’ll come to this later).
However, more often than not, our clients have no idea why HMRC has chosen to investigate their business or personal tax affairs. Here are some common reasons:
You operate a ‘high-risk’ business; you accept a majority of payments in cash.
You’ve previously made errors on your tax returns or annual accounts so HMRC are paying greater attention to your taxes.
HMRC has received information from a third party that has led it to launch a tax investigation e.g. your bank.
You have been highlighted by HMRC’s ‘super computer’ (see below).
HMRC’s methods used in identifying tax irregularities are more sophisticated that ever. Recently, HMRC heavily publicised the launch of its brand-new electronic counter avoidance system – the ‘super computer’. The system pulls information from many different sources, such as Land Registry records and Companies House data. It then cross references this information with internal data relating to an individual’s tax affairs. If the system finds an error, then it will flag the taxpayer for further investigation by a HMRC Inspector.
How Do I Appeal HMRC Tax Assessments?
If HMRC has already raised tax assessments, then these will need to be appealed immediately. There are many avenues of appeal that if unsuccessful will lead to the case being appealed at the First Tier Tax Tribunal.
T M Sterling can handle the appeal process from start to finish. We’ll start by appealing the internally with HMRC, via an ‘internal independent review’. Should this be unsuccessful, which is often the case, then we will start to build a case to be presented at First Tier Tax Tribunal. The Tribunal Service is completely independent of HMRC and will be unaware of any background to the case, other than the information presented at the hearing.
A majority of our successes in overturning HMRC’s assessments are achieved at the Tribunal Stage.
HMRC Tax Investigation Help – Next Steps
It’s important that you are completely honest with yourself. If there have been any deliberate irregularities, then you need to seek the advice of a tax investigation specialist as soon as possible. At T M Sterling we can guarantee our clients immunity from criminal prosecution in return for a full disclosure. This in done using the Contract Disclosure Facility under Code of Practice 9. Please call us if you wish to discuss Code of Practice 9 in more detail.
If you have no idea as to why HMRC has instigated a tax investigation, or dispute their findings, then T M Sterling can start building a case of appeal. There are many avenues of appeal to be explored, some of which rest outside of HMRC itself. It’s important to get things moving as soon as possible. Once tax assessments are raised there is a very limited window of appeal.