HM Revenue & Customs is poised to chase £100m in income tax from users of an offshore tax avoidance scheme, following a High Court ruling today.
The Court upheld the right of HMRC under the 2008 Finance Act to seek funds from 2,500 tax evaders, after a failed challenge by a self-employed IT consultant. Robert Huitson, who used an intricate Isle of Man tax arrangement to avoid £85,000 of income tax over seven years, argued HMRC's retrospective levy on taxes contravened his human rights, the BBC reports. But judge Justice Parker rejected this, saying users had been warned about possible future challenges to scheme, adding the Government has the right to change tax law retrospectively to end artificial arrangements. Huitson's ...
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