HMRC dawn raids jump to 648 last year

HMRC conducted 648 dawn raids in the year to 31 March 2024 up from 623 raids in the previous year as it ramped up its campaign against tax evasion according to research from Pinsent Masons.

The scale of HMRC’s programme of property raids and seizure of evidence is often overlooked says Steven Porter head of tax disputes and investigations at Pinsent Masons. The figures indicate an average of 12 properties searched every week each requiring search warrants extensive planning and the training of personnel. ‘It is a very active programme and comes on top of all the prearranged visits that HMRC makes to investigate individuals and businesses ’ added Mr Porter.

He noted that HMRC has been making more use of property raids to pursue alleged fraud within R&D tax credits citing as an example Green Jellyfish...