Tax experts from Brackenholme are clarifying HMRC’s notices after false rumours regarding investigations were spread.

Locally based Gary Brothers is the managing partner of Independent Tax, the largest HMRC handling tax and dispute specialist in the North of England.

Following rumours that HMRC would be stopping investigations and enquiries due to the Coronavirus, he has spoken out in a bid to combat the myths.

While thousands of people subject to a tax enquiry received letters in the post from HMRC over the last two months, Gary said these are simply stating the investigation is temporarily suspended rather than completely struck down.

Gary said the decision was made to “allow those customers to deal with the ongoing uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic and to avoid adding to the worry or burden they were facing.”

He added: “Of course, it also helped HMRC, which lost frontline staff due to the need for some people to self-isolate and also had to redeploy many thousands of staff to emergency coronavirus-related roles, such as the furlough wages scheme.

“However, customers and advisors can contact HMRC can request to continue the investigations.

“Around 70 per cent of our clients have said that they wish to continue with their enquiries or investigations. Many people feel that facing an HMRC investigation is bad enough without the added pressure of the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, most of our clients would like to try to resolve their HMRC matter as soon as is practicable.

“For those customers who agree to suspension for now, there is absolutely no indication that HMRC will simply drop that enquiry or investigation and walk away without concluding it. For a long time now, HMRC has had very little discretion to do ‘deals’ or walk away from what they consider to be the correct level of tax due and there is no indication that this scenario will change post-coronavirus.

“As a business specialising in HMRC investigations and enquiries, during the last four weeks Independent Tax has had contact with more than 100 senior HMRC investigators and not one of them has indicated that the suspension is anything other than that.

“In fact, there has been speculation that HMRC’s investigators will be even more active post-coronavirus as the Government looks to refill its coffers. So, I’m afraid that’s another myth firmly busted; there is no indication that HMRC will quietly drop investigations and enquiries due to the coronavirus pandemic.”