Are HMRC guilty of deceitful behaviour in their clampdown on dishonest agents?
KEY POINTS
- “High-volume agents” targeted by HMRC with a memorandum of understanding
- Required to agree to eight principles including caps on expenses-to-turnover ratios
- HMRC now using reductions as evidence to open earlier years
- Implications for co-operation and “agent view” consultations
Earlier this year HMRC wrote to accountancy practices and tax agents who submit a high volume of self assessment (SA) returns resulting in a repayment of tax. The high-volume agents (HVAs) as HMRC refer to them were invited to sign up voluntarily to a series of principles in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) which addressed HMRC’s risk concerns.
The HVAs were told that a follow-up visit would take place to ensure the principles had been adopted and applied to the submission of all 2013 returns filed after the date of...