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Tax Disputes & Investigations

Tax Disputes & Investigations

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

In recent years the authorities have become far more aggressive in collecting tax that they believe is payable. However, this aggressive approach is often not warranted and in many cases our specialist team has been able to secure the correct outcome at an early stage. We know that most clients want to settle without going to court and this is always our first step. When this is unavoidable, we are never afraid to litigate. We have experience of taking matters through the whole court system including and up to the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Understandably, for many clients the prospect of tax litigation is daunting. We minimise this by helping you prepare and present your cases. Our support runs all the way from initial conversations and advice on strategy and chances of success, through to drafting court documents and conducting cases before the courts. We can also prepare your witnesses to make giving evidence as stress free as possible.

Key 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

We recognise how the corporate, business and personal taxation needs of our clients overlap. For this reason, our tax practice is deliberately broad, with experts in all aspects of corporate M&A and restructuring; real estate; tax disputes and investigations; employment incentives and rewards; VAT; personal tax and cross border issues, for companies, funds and individuals.

Robert Hartley Partner

Meet the team

Work highlights

Work highlight

Refund of VAT

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

BBC presenters

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

Group Litigation Order

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.