A tax investigation is a daunting prospect for any business. Not only are there the potential fines incurred, but they also have the potential to impact negatively on businesses’ operations. This is why it is imperative to have a specialist in the field on hand to advise you and represent you. If you have received a letter from HMRC informing you of an investigation, it is important to seek professional advice as soon as possible to minimise the impact on your business and ensure that you are compliant with the relevant laws.
Tax Investigation Specialists are experienced in dealing with investigations and have the knowledge to help you get through this process quickly and effectively. They understand the processes and procedures of the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and can advise you on how to respond appropriately to any enquiries. They can also assist you in applying for a Worldwide Disclosure Facility if necessary, which could reduce the associated penalties.
In addition, Tax Investigation Specialists can be highly skilled and have experience in dealing with complex cases involving refund fraud schemes, computer-based income hiding systems, multilevel tax evasion and bribery, as well as politically sensitive investigations such as offshore investments and cash and jewellery smuggling. They are also capable of representing you in court where the need arises.
As with a standard Criminal Case, HMRC Investigators are allowed to search a Taxpayer’s records, premises or places of business and can obtain warrants allowing them to interview employees. This makes it vital to have a Specialist from our Top Calgary Tax Firm on your side who can protect you against self-incrimination and defend your legal rights at every stage of the process.
In order to investigate a Taxpayer, the CRA needs to have proof of an alleged offence. This can be in the form of an untaxed sum, a tax return that does not comply with legislation, or evidence that the taxpayer has failed to notify them of their tax obligations. The CRA can also investigate the Taxpayer’s financial position and may request bank statements, invoices or receipts from the business.
If the CRA believes that there is a breach of the law, they can issue a Statutory Demand for payment. This means that the CRA is then entitled to collect interest on any outstanding amount, plus any statutory penalty. In some circumstances, the CRA may also be able to recover costs and legal fees.
Those dreaded brown envelopes that drop through your door from HMRC are often not a welcome surprise. They may sound friendly in tone inviting you to a meeting to discuss a ‘slight’ ’irregularity’ but in reality they have you firmly in their sights for serious tax avoidance or evasion, VAT fraud, hidden offshore assets and CIS fraud to name just a few. You must deal with HMRC investigations seriously or the situation could spiral out of control and you could be facing a lengthy tax investigation with hefty penalties and even prison.