HMRC names avoidance scheme promoters for first time

13 Apr 2022

Tax avoidance schemes have been named for the first time by HMRC as users are warned they could face large tax bills.

HMRC has advised anyone involved in two schemes to withdraw from them as soon as possible to prevent generating a large tax bill.

Both schemes involve individuals agreeing an employment contract and working as a contractor. The schemes pay contractors the National Minimum Wage (NMW), with the remainder of their wage paid through a loan to try to avoid national insurance and income tax.

HMRC is letting taxpayers know as early as possible so they can steer clear of them or exit them. This is the first time HMRC has used new powers to name tax avoidance schemes and their promoters as part of a campaign to warn the public not to get caught up in tax avoidance.

Mary Aiston, Director of Counter Avoidance at HMRC, said: 'These schemes are cynically marketed as clever ways to pay less tax. The truth is they rarely work in the way the promoters claim and it's the users that end up with big tax bills.

'New legal powers allow us to name promoters and the schemes they peddle much faster, and this announcement is just the first step. But we need the public to be vigilant, and that's why we're also helping people identify and steer clear of these schemes through our Tax Avoidance – Don't Get Caught Out campaign.'

More information can be found here.