Builders and Party Planners are tipped to be the next targeted groups to be offered a tax amnesty to voluntary declare any tax evasion and pay any unpaid taxes. Electricians and e-traders are currently at the forefront of HMRC’s campaign against tax fraud and tax evasion so it would appear that HMRC are targeting a new group for a tax investigation.

Electricians Tax Safe Plan (ETSP):

• Has now been launched and is officially open.
• The deadline to notify your intention to disclose any tax evasion is 15 May 2012.
• The deadline for submission of your and the extent of this tax fraud is 14 August 2012.

Please see link to earlier article on the ETSP for more details of the how electricians can disclose any tax evasion issues.

e-marketplaces:

• The date for launch has been announced as 14 March 2012, so notifications of any tax fraud for online traders can be made using this tax amnesty from this date.
• The deadline to notify your intention to disclose any tax fraud is expected to be mid-June 2012.
• The deadline for submission of your disclosure of any tax fraud is expected to be mid-September 2012.

Please see link to earlier article on online traders and how they can disclose any tax fraud under the tax amnesty in the “e-marketplace”.

Next in line to disclose any tax evasion………

Builders

• The building trade is set to be the next in line to be targeted by HMRC to voluntarily disclose any tax fraud or tax evasion.
• This offer for the voluntary disclosure of any tax evasionwill include builders, bricklayers, roofers, window fitters, plasterers, carpenters and joiners and others working in the building and construction industry.

Home parties and home delivered catalogues are also being encourage to disclose any tax evasion.

Those who host parties at people’s homes and those deliver catalogues to people’s doors and earn commissions on orders have come under the spotlight as being a group which may be likely to have fallen foul of their tax obligations and in HMRC’s eyes being guilty of tax evasion..

• These targeted by HMRC as suspected of tax fraud include but are not limited to:
o Avon
o Jamie at Home
o Pampered Chef
o Ann Summers
o Virgin Vie
o Kleeneze

As yet no dates have been announced for the launch of these campaigns for these people to disclose details of any tax evasion, but it is likely these will be rolled out sometime later this year (2012).

Tax disclosure opportunities like these will give those and other taxpayers the chance to disclose any tax evasion and tax fraud issues potentially without the same intensity as a full blown tax investigation. If taxpayers choose not to disclose the tax evasion, their risk of a tax investigation and a higher penalty if tax evasion is established increases significantly and some of these tax investigations will result in a tax prosecution for an unlucky few.

This opportunity to disclose tax evasion is not only limited to the specific tradesperson or professional who can take part, but anyone who has income as a result of tax evasion which they have not yet told HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) about. The same terms are offered to anyone who has undisclosed income, so long as are not already part of a tax investigation by HMRC. Each campaign normally gives 3 months from the launch date to notify HMRC of your intention to disclose any tax evasion. You will then usually have a further 3 months to complete your disclosure of any tax evasion and submit this to HMRC with payment of the tax, interest and penalties.

Subsequent to receiving completed disclosures of tax evasion under the plans, HMRC advise that they will carry out targeted tax investigations aimed at those in the targeted trades and professions, who have failed to come forward and make a full disclosure of any tax evasion. These tax investigations could result in substantial penalties or even criminal tax prosecution.

HMRC have targeted these trades as they have been gathering information from various sources and believe that they have some hard evidence of tax evasion in many cases.

Gilbert Tax can help you

For most people, the simple thought of having to deal with an Tax Investigation or disclosing tax evasion is so terrifying that they avoid the issue altogether and often find themselves in even greater tax investigation difficulties with higher bills than they need to. There is no need to let problems large or small with the HMRC escalate to the point where your quality of life and happiness suffer.

At Gilbert Tax, we have over eighty years experience in finding closure for clients dealing with Inland Revenue tax investigation and significant experience in dealing with tax amnesty schemes and tax evasion issues.

We are also skilled in negotiating with HMRC, relative to tax evasion, so as to avoid or limit financial penalties for the individuals or businesses who find themselves subject to a tax investigation.

For a private discussion of your tax matters, please call Gilbert Tax on 0800 734 3333 or email us at enquiries@gilberttax.co.uk.