What We Do

Tax is in the public eye in a way that was undreamt of a few years ago. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (“HMRC”) are increasingly aggressive and are blurring the boundaries between ‘tax avoidance,’ which is lawful, and ‘tax evasion’, which is illegal. HMRC investigations, whether civil or criminal, can be stressful, time intensive and costly.

In 2005 Customs and Excise merged with the Inland Revenue to create one body responsible for all taxes, HMRC. Today, the Customs culture and methods of working have been extended to the whole organization and Officers of HMRC are heavily focused on intense and invasive tax investigations, both civil and criminal, in order to maximize the amounts of tax collected for the Exchequer. HMRC Officers are also armed with a formidable arsenal of powers which enable them to collect large amounts of information from taxpayers and third parties, inspect business records and premises, and impose substantial penalties in a wide range of circumstances, for example where incorrect tax returns are submitted by a taxpayer to HMRC.

All this means that taxpayers who are faced with HMRC investigations, whether civil or criminal, need protection and there is no substitute for experience in this difficult and complex area.

We have that experience as a result of many years spent working in senior positions at HMRC, as well as in private practice.  We protect our clients. We know HMRC inside out – how they work and how to secure the best results for our clients. We also work closely with other professional advisers who require specialist assistance in preventing or resolving disputes with the tax authorities on behalf of their clients.

Most of our work is tax litigation, civil and criminal, before the specialist Tax Tribunal and the Higher Courts.  We know the Tribunal and Court system inside out.  With our years of experience, we can give our clients a top flight service at a reasonable price in this complex area.