A lengthy and complex tax investigation has a resulted in a landmark court case, which sees the first ever European royal family member stand trial, faced with criminal charges for tax evasion. Princess Cristina of Spain, the 50 year old sister of the recently crowned King Filipe, has been at the centre of a tax… Read more…

Those who hide their money abroad ‘at the expense of honest UK’ citizens are being reminded that a new crackdown could boost their chances of facing a taxation investigation. Existing taxpayer disclosure facilities are being replaced. An expiry date of December 31, 2015 will see, among others, the Liechtenstein Disclosure Facility wound down, giving tax… Read more…

HMRC has avoided making it a hat trick of defeats after judges finally upheld their appeal following a taxation investigation into a football club. HMRC maintained Rangers broke tax rules in the use of Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs) that, between 2001 and 2010, gave millions of pounds of tax-free loans to players and other staff.… Read more…

More than 3,800 tax investigations by HMRC local offices remain unfinished three years after they began, research says. The figures are contributing to a situation where almost a quarter of all local probes are incomplete more than 12 months after their launch. Further data, from City law firm RPC, suggests that as of March 2015,… Read more…

The average length of an HM Revenue & Customs tax investigation has increased by two weeks, according to new research. PFP, which provide tax investigation insurance, reported in August that the time taken had extended from 2.5 months in 2012-13 to three months in 2013-14, although many investigations took much longer. Kevin Igoe, PFP’s managing… Read more…

The government has launched a consultation on plans to give HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) access to new sources of information to help support its tax investigations. HMRC already has powers to collect data from businesses that process credit and debit card transactions, enabling it to identify traders not registered for tax but receiving income… Read more…

Payments made by HMRC to informants hit a new high of £605,000 in 2014-15, up from £402,000 in the previous tax year, suggesting that more tax investigations are on the way. The figures were revealed on 15 June by City law firm RPC, which said increasing public awareness of tax issues had led to more… Read more…