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Tax Disputes & Investigations

Tax Disputes & Investigations

Tax and specifically the payment of tax affect every business and individual, but navigating HMRC and its processes can be complicated. Our team have direct experience of working within HMRC and can help you reach a satisfactory agreement for your business and HMRC as well as helping you to build a solid working relationship going forward.

In recent years the tax authorities have become far more aggressive in collecting tax that they believe is payable. However, this aggressive approach is often unwarranted and our specialist team have been able to persuade HMRC of the correct treatment at an early stage. We know that most clients would far rather settle without recourse to the courts and that is always our first step, but when this does not succeed, we then litigate on behalf of our clients. We have experience of taking matters through all of the Courts including and up to the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Understandably, for many clients the prospect of tax litigation can be daunting, but we can help you prepare and present your cases. We can support our clients from initial conversations to advice on strategy and chances of success, through to drafting court documents and conducting cases before the Courts. We can also prepare witnesses to make giving evidence as stress free as possible.

Services

Customs and Excise duty appeals
Corporation Tax
Insurance Premium Tax
Employee benefits trusts
All areas of VAT litigation
PAYE tax planning arrangements
Alternative Dispute Resolution

Work highlights

Work highlight

Successfully appealed against HMRC's decision to refuse a refund of VAT on inactivity fees issued when a client's spread betting account was inactive for two years.

Work highlight

Iceland Foods

Advised Iceland Foods against National Minimum Wage breach claims initiated by HMRC.

Work highlight

The London Zoo

Advised The London Zoo and other charitable zoos in the UK and succeeded in getting exemption for them on the basis they were all managed and administered on a voluntary basis.

Work highlight

We represented a group of over 170 BBC presenters in a disagreement with the BBC over a number of tax issues, including most notably the BBC's recoupment of national insurance and PAYE contributions from presenters who were self-employed and who had therefore already accounted to HMRC of their own accord.

Work highlight

Mercedes-Benz Financial Service (UK)

Acted for Mercedes-Benz Financial Service (UK) Limited in respect of its appeal to the Court of Justice of the European Union as to whether supplies of certain financial products are supplies of goods or supplies of services for the purposes of Value Added Tax.

Work highlight

Acting as lead solicitors on the largest Group Litigation Order in the history of tax litigation. We represent almost 300 claimants in a case involving examination of European and domestic law obligations on Royal Mail as an emanation of the state.