Advisers targeted by HMRC in VAT clampdown

Carmen Reichman
clock • 2 min read

Financial advisers are among the small and medium size businesses being "aggressively" targeted by HMRC for VAT payments, contributing to a 10% jump in VAT taken from SMEs in the last year, according to a national accountancy group.

UHY Hacker Young Group claimed HMRC has become increasingly aggressive in challenging the VAT arrangements of small businesses, including advisers, targeting them to "challenge long-accepted VAT arrangements" or impose "unrealistic burdens" to claim back VAT. The group pointed to figures which suggested HMRC took a record £3.9bn in extra VAT from compliance investigations into small businesses in the year leading up to March - up 10% on the £3.6bn brought in the previous year. HMRC rules state advice fees and commission are always taxable, while remuneration for intermediary service m...

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