East London News A Force for the community…
ELN: As HM Revenue & Customs announces that it has launched task forces across the UK to tackle tax evaders, RSM Tenon, seventh largest accounting and advisory firm in the UK, says this is another example of HMRC stepping-up their fight against tax evasion and non compliance. The specialist teams will tackle high-risk trade sectors across the UK, beginning with the restaurant trade in London over the next few weeks.
The move is one of a series of recent initiatives carried out by HMRC designed combat tax evasion and non compliance. The medical profession and offshore bank accounts have been the focus of previous disclosure campaigns, and more recently the plumbing and heating industry.
Gary Ashford, Head of Tax Investigations at RSM Tenon, said:
‘We are now starting to see the unveiling of HMRC’s new approach to tackling non compliance. Clearly HMRC are seeing the restaurant trade as a high-risk area, hence sending in this new task force instead of offering some sort of voluntary tax disclosure facility as we have seen for offshore bank accounts, medics and plumbers. This may have come out of the intelligence they will have gleaned from the project they had running a few years ago on the restaurants and celebrity chefs.
‘This is one of a number of recently launched HMRC initiatives, and it is clear that they are taking the issue of tax evasion and non compliance very seriously and coming down hard on evaders.
‘HMRC is currently running a disclosure facility aimed at those working in the plumbing and heating industry, although any tax payer can take advantage of this initiative. If those working in the restaurant industry are interested in taking part then they should contact their financial adviser immediately as this closes on 31st May.
‘HMRC have already made clear there will be a five fold increase in criminal prosecutions and we are now starting to see them take that approach on offshore bank accounts. Medics, plumbers and now restaurants will clearly be next.’
