Tax Disputes and Investigations

Dealing with an HMRC tax dispute can be a daunting and stressful experience. With public spending continuing to rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, HMRC is expected to boost their level of tax investigations to generate more income.

HMRC have invested heavily in sophisticated data mining technology and also use data gained from historic investigations to identify areas of risk.  We expect new ‘target’ areas to be identified, as we are seeing with an increased focus on R&D claims.

HMRC are also taking a new approach to tax investigations, with increased communication between different parts of the department. A simple VAT visit could lead to a full company cross-tax enquiry.  Therefore, it is imperative to have the support of advisers with an extensive understanding of HMRC investigations, policies and procedures. 

The likelihood of a tax enquiry, and the cost of this, has never been higher.

Whatever tax dispute you’re having with HMRC, we can help from initial contact with HMRC, detailed negotiation of your technical position, settlement discussions, mitigation of penalties and alternative dispute resolution (ADR), up to the appeal process to the Tribunal and higher courts. We deal with all UK taxes and bring in technical specialists from different disciplines as needed.

Early professional involvement at the start of an enquiry can often lead to a narrowing of the issues in dispute and reduce costs and penalty exposure in the longer-term. We also have experience of taking over more entrenched disputes, or working with existing advisers, where a resolution has not been reached.