Fee Protection

HMRC has the power to inspect business premises and have established a penalty structure based on subjective 'reasonable care' clauses. It also uses the more efficient aspect enquiry to enable inspectors to target a greater number of taxpayers than before in order to identify non-compliant tax returns. HMRC's approach has the potential to result in lengthy investigations which can be complicated, and require our involvement.

The consequences and penalties associated with HMRC enquiries can be hard-hitting, therefore we believe that having the peace of mind by providing for professional fees is essential. We can focus our time and effort entirely on your investigation and you won't have to worry about expenses.

With the increased risk of such investigations, it may be worth considering taking out an annual insurance policy to protect you and your business from unexpected costs

What does our scheme offer?

Our Tax Investigation Protection Service is fully backed by an Insurance Policy and covers your representation costs in the event you are selected for a tax enquiry or investigation by HMRC.

No-one can prevent an investigation, but our tax investigations package:

• will remove your concerns about the rising costs of enquiries
• ensures you receive the best defence to protect your tax position
• enables us to challenge HMRC’s assertions and assumptions head on, and that the basis of any enquiry is correct and that your case is handled fairly
• ensures the tax inspector is only asking for relevant information and documents, and provide all supporting information from our files that relates to your accounts
• handles all communications with HMRC, including letters, phone calls or notices issued
• prepares for and attend any face-to-face meetings with the tax inspector
• argues any complex or technical tax cases that are raised during the enquiry

Business Legal Helpline

One of the additional perks of subscribing to the service is free access to the Business Legal Helpline, run by an expert team of solicitors and barristers. The helpline is open 365 days a year and covers employment law, health & safety and commercial matters, such as:

• Information on the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and how it affects you;
• The latest legislation on maternity/paternity leave;
• Advice on redundancy, leases, trademarks and patents.

The law changes constantly and the helpline ensures that you have the right support when you need it most.

We believe that the peace of mind gained from having this cover in place is important and we recommend to all our clients that they join our Fee Protection scheme.