HMRC Investigations

HMRC Investigations

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Is there any way of finding out whether HMRC has investigated the tax affairs of a person. I wrote a letter to them 7 years ago telling them of this person's irregularities, the guy was my ex business partner and up to 2008 I completed his tax returns. I also discussed the matter with a friend and ex colleague of mine and he phoned the tax fraud line. Their investigation department also phoned me on one occasion, to do with another matter, and I mentioned this guy and his businesses again but have no idea of the outcome. I have a feeling that they did investigate him because he harassed me over a six year period until I successfully sued him, for a debt he owed me, early in 2014. 

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By cparker87
15th Sep 2015 08:13

move on
Just move on.

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Replying to RaxJ:
By johncharles
15th Sep 2015 08:58

Would be nice

cparker87 wrote:
Just move on.
to know that he got his just comeuppance. I have moved on because I got paid part of what he owed me. Just thought it would be a good idea, like with businesses paying below NMW, if they named and shamed people who fiddle the tax system. I assume there is no name and shame site for tax payers who have been caught out fiddling? Quite a few are now being mentioned on programmes like Saints and Scroungers.
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By Scriptic
15th Sep 2015 08:56

As cparker87 says.

It should come as no surprise that if HMRC had taken action it is not likely that they would be prepared to disclose the details.

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Replying to atleastisoundknowledgable...:
By johncharles
15th Sep 2015 08:56

How comes then

Scriptic wrote:

It should come as no surprise that if HMRC had taken action they would not be ready to disclose the details.


that quite a few of these cases are now mentioned on Saints and Scroungers on Television.
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RLI
By lionofludesch
15th Sep 2015 09:04

Criminal

Because they're criminal prosecutions which are in the public domain.

99% of cases aren't prosecuted as criminal cases.  The parties come to an out of court settlement.

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David Winch
By David Winch
15th Sep 2015 11:18

Not just criminal prosecutions

HMRC now have statutory authority to 'name & shame' tax defaulters who meet specified criteria (as shown on the list to which a previous poster has put a link).

But ordinarily the tax affairs of an individual / company are confidential.

David

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By bernard michael
15th Sep 2015 11:29

There are only 24 on the list. I cannot believe that is all that are being investigated

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Replying to lionofludesch:
paddle steamer
By DJKL
15th Sep 2015 12:27

I think you

bernard michael wrote:

There are only 24 on the list. I cannot believe that is all that are being investigated

I think you have to be over a certain threshold to get promotion to the top league, the list I linked may be just for a period because I have seen one in the past with more than 24 names . I will have a search to see if I can find the "other" list I saw circa June/July.

 

Edit-Here is a link to an article discussing criteria for inclusion.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/tax/11245187/What-are...

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By slipknot08
15th Sep 2015 12:31

that is not "all"...

The ones on the list are the ones - to date - who have met the (quite stringent) 'naming and shaming' criteria (edit, I think the names stay on the list for a year, then come off, and that the list is re-issued quarterly). HMRC undertakes thousands of investigations every year, ranging from cases of innocent error, to deliberate concealment (fraud in old money). Only some result in criminal prosecutions (and you need to remember that it is expensive - to us the taxpayer - to prosecute, with court and legal costs, not to mention time spent preparing and investigating the case). As other posters have said, many more (the majority) of cases are settled, with tax, interest and penalties (which increase with the degree of culpability) payable to HMRC. In addition, HMRC has powers to monitor what it calls 'deliberate defaulters' closely for five years following the conclusion of an investigation, to ensure there is no repeat of the behaviour.

In addition to the above, you have still more 'technical' investigations where the taxpayer has taken a different (but supportable) view of the law - sometimes these go to the tax tribunals, sometimes the cases settle (and it is not unheard of for the taxpayer to win, once you get to speak to HMRC's technical experts and actually explain the technical position fully).

No, definitely not "all"!

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paddle steamer
By DJKL
15th Sep 2015 12:35

Lists appear to be published quarterly and inclusion on the lists is only for up to a year, hence it appears the  current list is a rolling list (a bit like checking turnover for vat registration)

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