Legal professionals, solicitors and hairdressers are among the latest groups to be targeted in a new tax crackdown by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
The initiatives, launched on 18 September, are expected to recover more than £19.5 million by targeting those who do not pay the right amount of tax. Taskforces will focus on:
- the legal profession in London
- grocery and retail in South and North Wales, the North West and the South West
- hair and beauty in the North East
- restaurants in the South East and Solent
- the motor trade in Scotland.
Taskforces will visit traders to examine their records and carry out other investigations in the crackdown.
HMRC’s Mike Eland, director general, enforcement and compliance, said: “These taskforces bring together specialists from across HMRC to find people who are not paying what they should. If you have paid all your taxes you have nothing to worry about. But for those deliberately evading tax, be warned that HMRC is coming after you.
“This is not an empty threat. We are on target to collect more than £50 million as a result of taskforces launched in 2011/12.”
HMRC has launched 30 taskforces since May 2011 as part of the government’s investment in tackling tax evasion, avoidance and fraud, which aims to raise an additional £7 billion each year by 2014/15.
