HMRC Investigations & Compliance

Tax Investigation Service.

An issue we all face is a potential tax investigation by HMRC.

What does a HMRC investigation involve?

HMRC usually start with a letter asking questions or announcing a visit but they also have the power to inspect documents, assets and your premises.

What is the impact on you?

Tax investigations are timely, stressful and costly. Not to mention a distraction from your usual day to day focus. They can last for several months or years. These investigations can cost tens of thousands in professional fees and are not covered by the cost of preparing accounts and tax returns.

To maintain peace of mind we recommend that you subscribe to our Tax Investigation Service, which will ensure that you will not have to face such unexpected costs in the event of a tax enquiry.

What does the Tax Investigation Service do?

The most important thing to do when HMRC come knocking is simple, get immediate professional advice and representation. This immediate intervention can lead to early resolution and mitigate any additional tax due, dealing with HMRC without this expertise can make matters worse. Unfortunately such representation does incur fees but with the Tax Investigation Service you are safeguarded against these fees.

How does it work?

The service offers up to £100,000 of our professional fees in dealing with HMRC for work we have undertaken. We provide representation on all matters relating to your investigation, ensuring the enquiry runs as smoothly as possible and therefore providing you with peace of mind. All you need to do is subscribe to the service and relax in the knowledge that when you come under the HMRC spotlight that we are on hand to provide full representation without any worry over the fees that will be incurred.

What other benefits are included with the service?

If you subscribe to the service via Botham Accounting Limited, you will also have use of third party helplines offering services that are provided by expert consultants in employment law, HR and health and safety which will help with your business growth.

What is not included?

The key exclusions are fraud, criminal prosecutions, tax avoidance schemes, import VAT & duty or excise duties, deliberate omissions, any tax, fines, penalties or interest that you may be required to pay and any enquiries that commence prior to the commencement date of the policy.

Are there any restrictions on cover?

The main restriction is where HMRC launch an enquiry into your affairs under Code of Practice 8 in which case cover is restricted to a maximum of £15,000.

If you would like any further information please contact Angela Petty on 0115 9508 887.

HMRC Compliance Checks & Investigations

HMRC have powers available to them to ask questions about Corporation Tax, Income Tax, VAT, and anything else they are responsible for. This may be a quick check of a certain aspect of one particular tax, a full review of all taxes in your business, or a full investigation covering all areas of your business and private matters.

This may include an investigation under HMRC’s Code of Practice 8 or, where fraud is suspected, HMRC’s Code of Practice 9 (the Contractual Disclosure Facility).

We have the experience of dealing with and managing all types of enquiries and investigations; our aim is to resolve these as quickly as possible, making sure that our clients know their rights, as well as making sure HMRC do not abuse or over-step their investigation powers.

Forensic Tax Advice

Whether you:

have taken advice in the past and need a tax review of work done to date, or
are thinking of entering into an arrangement but are unsure of the tax consequences

we have investigation experience and analysis skills to help consider the impact of certain arrangements.

This may include HMRC’s challenge to an avoidance scheme, Accelerated Payment Notices or just a specific issue that has become contentious, our team includes had the experience of dealing with HMRC on highly technical & difficult issues.

Settlements and Dispute Resolution

Whether you are dealing with an enquiry yourself or another representative has dealt with the investigation on your behalf, if you are unable to reach agreement with HMRC we offer Settlement and Alternative Dispute Resolution services to consider the factors before this before this goes to Tribunal.

Here we can use our investigation experience to give consideration to what is an appropriate settlement, identifying what should and should not be challenged. The aim here is to bring the issues to an end without further costs from either a drawn out investigation or through incurring legal costs.