HMRC planning 'massive' tax clampdown

Chartered accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young says this is a 33% increase on the £12.1bn of tax clawed back during 2008/09, taking the total HMRC target to £16.1bn in 2010/11. To achieve such a high yield, HMRC will need to widen the scope of its enquiry work to include marginal cases. This increases the risk innocent businesses are caught up in its tax net, says the firm. The company also questioned whether the Liberal Democrats' pledge to collect another £4.6bn by clamping down on tax avoidance is achievable without creating unreasonable burdens for innocent taxpayers. Tax partner ...