are you at risk of a prosecution from HMRC

There are very few HMRC prosecutions each year. of the 50 – 100 cases that come to Court, many will be for tax credit evasion and only a handful relate to the non payment of income tax. HMRC Prosecutions Office selects their cases very carefully and usually prosecutes where there is a very high chance of a conviction. HMRC may regard some of the scenarios below as a sufficient reason to consider initiating criminal proceedings against you.

• a previous signed certificate of full disclosure is found to be false
• a contrived company liquidation
• documents have been forged
• a professional eg an accountant or solicitor is under suspicion of acting inappropriately
• a taxpayer has been involved in serious fraud following an earlier offence

Full details of HMRC prosecution policy are set out at     

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/prosecutions/crim-inv-policy.htm

dealing with HMRC Prosecutions Office

Great care is needed when dealing with these situations and immediate support is essential.

Often the first indication of this is a dawn raid or the execution of a search warrant at your place of work or home. you will not be provided with any ‘Code of Practice’ which sets out HMRC’s policy governing monetary settlements.

We can put you in touch with specialist lawyers who provide immediate legal advice in such cases. if accountancy work is required during the course of the case, cameron baum will support the solicitor so that you have maximum expertise throughout the investigation process.