Summer 2007 Newsletter Content Reverse Charges Beyond The Grave Director's Two Hats IHT Plan Fails VAT And Cash Amnesty International An Inspector Calls Losing A Bet Caring Doctors TAAR Brush Made To Be Broken Flat VAT Safe Deposit Tax On Gas Working Late Composite Companies Excuses, Excuses

An Inspector Calls What's worse than receiving your tax return to fill in? Answer: receiving a letter saying that the Revenue want to ask you some questions about a past return. They started about 164,000 enquiries into the affairs of individuals in the year to April 2006 - those will range from fairly simple questions about single figures to a full "going over". A year later, the Revenue are hoping that they won't have to send out the letters - they are waiting for people to come to them. Another story tells how they have managed to acquire lists of offshore accounts held by UK residents with the five main banks, and they have been matching them up with tax returns to see who hasn't been telling them about their foreign income. They expect to raise up to £2 billion from a mixture of those who own up and those they have to chase. If your affairs are in order, an enquiry from the Revenue is irritating, and we can help minimise the annoyance. If your affairs are not in order, an enquiry can seriously damage your wealth: you should take professional advice as soon as possible. The number of people reported to be on the Revenue's lists is so huge that they won't actually be able to cope with all the enquiry work - but it would be dangerous to count on it.