As HMRC publishes its first list of deliberate tax defaulters, naming and shaming those who owe more than £25,000, two accountants from Saffery Champness wonder what kind of redress there might be
As HMRC publishes its first list of deliberate tax defaulters, naming and shaming those who owe more than £25,000, two accountants from Saffery Champness wonder what kind of redress there might be.
Ronnie Ludwig, a partner in the private wealth group at top 20 accountancy firm Saffery Champness, says:
“The naming and shaming of evaders is unprecedented and is designed to use the power of the media as a scare tactic, but will the individuals and organisations concerned regard this as an infringement of their human rights which could harm their future ability to operate their businesses and seek redress through the European Court of Human Rights? Those named may feel that they have been unfairly discriminated against. ‘Why only us?’
“The ‘other measures’ referred to have been around for a long time and are nothing new.”
Tim Gregory, another partner in the group, adds:
“The publication of the list underlines once again that there increasingly no place to hide from the taxman, and taxpayers should always pay what they owe. Those who seek proper professional advice will see their tax bills mitigated to the extent intended by the rules, and they will be able to rest easy that they are not over-stepping the mark.”
Read more on tax evasion here
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