Customer relationship managers

HMRC established its High Net Worth Unit(HNWU) in 2009 to deal with the personal tax affairs of the UK’s wealthiest taxpayers.

The aim of the unit is to obtain a deeper understanding of the affairs of taxpayers within this population. Each taxpayer dealt with by the unit is assigned a Customer Relationship Manager (CRM), who acts as a point of contact for tax agents and taxpayers, enabling informal real time discussions with HMRC about areas of tax risk and uncertainty.

These conversations can be mutually beneficial as they decrease the risk of misunderstandings and therefore the need for formal enquiries and can provide some level of certainty for taxpayers when potentially tax-sensitive transactions take place.

The HNWUdeals with taxpayers with a worldwide wealth of around £20 million or above and with complex tax affairs. This group initially represented the top 5,000 taxpayers in the UK. There will, however, be individuals within the UK who have complex tax affairs or assets in the millions that do not fall within the