Tax investigations do not need to recreate trench warfare. It is not in the taxpayers or the taxman’s interest. World War I was nearly a hundred years ago and it is counterproductive to re-enact it with the tax man.
Investigations and negotiations on tax are conducted on very similar principles to any other investigation or negotiation in the commercial sphere. Preparation is key and knowledge of the tax legislation under which you are operating is also important. However when it comes to negotiation different companies take different styles. You can see advertised in popular newspapers those for whom compromise is a dirty word and believe in an Alamo style fight to the end. At Primondell we believe that this is normally not in the interests of the client. It is much better to try to understand the motivations behind the launch of the investigation and to try and reach where possible a fair and equitable settlement which minimises the overall cost to the client.
There is a popular view that the Revenue have all the cards in their hands. The legislation, the unlimited resources and the time to devote to winning cases. We believe that this is not a completely accurate picture. HMRC do have constraints under which they act which often make them amenable to a fair settlement.
Our goal is to provide the taxpayers with the best possible service. Our knowledge of the tax system and our experience of negotiations with HMRC at all levels give us confidence in this area.
