HMRC 'threatens' company directors

News Article - 09 June 2009
Category: Regulatory

Company directors are being targeted by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in a crackdown on tax evasion.

However, some directors have criticised HMRC for sending "threatening" letters in order to make them check their financial statements and correctly fill in their tax returns.

Simon Littlejohns, tax partner at PKF, told the Birmingham Mail: "The letters are, in our opinion, threatening in tone.

"They effectively suggest that many company directors are engaged in widespread tax fraud."

The letters stated that company directors commonly made errors in claims for businesses expenses, as they claimed for personal items such as food, drink and clothing.

They added that if HMRC did not get a response within 30 says, it would make an assessment to collect the amount that they believed was due before sending out a revised self-assessment statement with details of how to pay.

Karen Francis, also from PKF, told the Nottingham Evening Post that the tone of the letters was "at best, intimidating".

Around 14,000 people have been contacted as part of a pilot scheme, which some professionals believe could be rolled out nationwide.

Article keywords:

---

More industry news

• Think tank warns UK may have already slipped back into recession
• Growing demand for HR staff in technology and international sectors
• Boosting business growth a ‘priority’ to avoid Eurozone slowdown
• HMRC launches alternative disputes pilot scheme this week
• December employment statistics disregard gloomy recruitment predictions
• Eurozone manufacturing PMI shows modest improvement
• UK scores highly for economic governance by ratings agency
• Government launches two-year project focusing on manufacturing sector
• Burden of regulation on UK businesses ‘too high’

Back to news home page »