Warwickshire chartered accountants and business advisers, Burgis & Bullock are warning businesses and individuals to be wary of a new tax scam.

The bogus HMRC final tax amnesty notification mentions that the government has announced an unprecedented amnesty for hundreds of thousands of people with offshore assets, including holiday homes as it seeks to recover billions of pounds in unpaid tax.  It contains personal data on the recipient and also requests completion of various forms of paperwork.

Deborah Allan, a Tax Manager Burgis & Bullock comments: “Although HMRC are aware of this scam, we would urge all businesses and individuals to be extremely careful.  The notification falsely implies that taxpayers will be given two months to declare any unpaid tax on rent from foreign properties and that anyone coming forward will be charged a reduced penalty compared to 100% in normal circumstances.  This is particularly worrying as the recipient may hastily provide the information in order to avoid paying a penalty.

“Remember, there is a scheme already operating under the same heading as the bogus scam.  This means that people who have previously registered to be part of that scheme will not receive unsolicited requests for large amount of personal information.

“Should anyone be concerned about any paperwork or forms asking for personal information, we would urge them to seek advice before completing or returning the details.”

For further information on the HMRC scam, please contact Deborah Allan or any member of the tax team on 01926 45100.