HMRC fires 'warning shot' to tax dodgers

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Hundreds of suspected tax dodgers received letters from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) this weekend stating their financial affairs are under close scrutiny.

The BBC reports the government department will send 1,500 letters to people it believes have signed up to one particular avoidance scheme. It is thought the action is the first of its kind and is seen as a "pre-emptive strike" before the scheme's legal status is altered. The BBC said about 700 of the letters would have arrived on Saturday. Four different versions of the letter have been issued. One said: ""You are in the small minority of people who have made the deliberate choice to avoid tax. We focus our resources on this small minority. The choice that you have made changes ...

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