HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announces prosecution of nightclub owner Paul Kelly and accountant John Parry at Preston Crown Court for a £4.9m tax fraud scheme. Kelly was found guilty of 17 counts of cheating public revenue and one count of perverting justice, while Parry was convicted of one count of each offence. The fraud involved false VAT returns and unpaid employee deductions over six years from March 2012. Sentencing is scheduled for 25 July 2025, with proceeds of crime proceedings underway.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has successfully prosecuted three individuals involved in a significant gift aid fraud scheme. A former charity accountant, Kwabena Duodu, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for orchestrating a £1.5m fraud using the details of ten evangelical churches. His accomplice, Moses Asare, a pastor, received a seven-year sentence for his role in the scheme and subsequent money laundering activities. A third defendant, John Quansah, also a pastor, was given a suspended fifteen-month sentence for furnishing false information. The convictions, handed down at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 2 December 2024, highlight HMRC's ongoing efforts to combat charity-related tax fraud and underscore the severe consequences for those exploiting Gift Aid regulations for personal gain.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has issued reminder letters through its Wealthy team to individuals who claimed foreign tax credit relief in 2023/24. The letters are intended to ensure that recipients understand the criteria for the relief when making similar claims in 2024/25, particularly emphasising the requirement to verify provisions of relevant Double Tax Treaties. HMRC has advised letter recipients to review their 2023/24 tax returns and make any necessary amendments. The correspondence warns that penalties and interest may be charged if HMRC opens an enquiry and discovers errors. The reminder covers foreign tax credit relief for both employment income and non-employment income.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has published a policy paper on the increase in the  Economic Crime Levy charge for entities in the UK classified as very large under the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017, SI 2017/692. This includes any entity with a revenue in excess of £1bn over the relevant accounting period. From April 2024, the charge will increase from the £250,000 to £500,000. There will be no change in the charge for small entities, medium entities, or large entities.

Law360, London: The UK tax authority launched more than 1,000 serious tax investigations in the fiscal year ended 31 March 2023, following a yearly increase in tax evasion and avoidance, Pinsent Masons LLP said on 29 January 2024.

On 11 May 2026, HMRC published a new Technical note: inheritence tax on pensions.

Law360, London: HMRC's long-awaited decision to charge a company for failing to prevent tax evasion under powers introduced eight years ago will test largely unanswered legal principles and could be a sign of the tax ministry's tougher stance on financial crime, lawyers say.

Law360, The government confirmed on 23 January 2025 that it will close a controversial loophole that has resulted in new retirees being overtaxed to the tune of £1.3bn over the past decade.

Law360, London: Britain's tax authority is expected to pay £700m in refunds to ITV Plc and several other companies after the UK's successful appeal at the EU's highest court over tax breaks for controlled foreign companies.

Law360, London: Insiders who tip off investigators to serious tax avoidance by large companies and rich elites will be paid a cut of any money the UK tax enforcer claws back under a new policy proposed by the government.

HMRC has confirmed that it will stop processing old versions of Inheritance Tax 100 (IHT100) forms after 31 August 2026. Practitioners submitting outdated forms after that date will be required to resubmit using the current version, potentially causing delays in reporting Inheritance Tax charges. HMRC encourages agents to move to the latest forms to avoid disruption.

HMRC has updated the contents page of the Construction Industry Scheme Reform Manual to incorporate new fraud measures for the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) introduced under AB25. These amendments are part of a series of ongoing updates to the manual’s compliance section. The manual offers guidance on the regulatory framework that governs tax arrangements between contractors and subcontractors in the construction industry.