According to data provided by HMRC to Pinsent Masons, HMRC’s ‘affluent unit’ collected £137.2m in additional tax from investigations in 2013/14, up from £85.7m in 2012/13.
HMRC opened its affluent unit in 2011 to target a far wider high group of taxpayers whose income means they are not considered wealthy enough to be scrutinised by HMRC’s high net worth unit. The affluent unit now investigates the tax affairs of UK residents with an annual income of over £150,000 or wealth of over £1m, which makes up around 500,000 taxpayers in the UK. Taxpayers with assets worth over £20m are dealt with by HMRC’s high net worth unit.
HMRC’s affluent unit doubled in size in 2013, with the recruitment of an additional 100 inspectors, and its remit was also expanded to cover those with a private wealth of more than £1m, down from the previous threshold of £2.5m.
This surge in extra revenue from affluent unit tax investigations serves as a reminder that HMRC is widening its lines of inquiry. It is no longer focusing solely on the super-rich. People who would just consider themselves moderately successful are now also coming under the scrutiny of HMRC’s specialist units.
According to data provided by HMRC to Pinsent Masons, HMRC’s ‘affluent unit’ collected £137.2m in additional tax from investigations in 2013/14, up from £85.7m in 2012/13.
HMRC opened its affluent unit in 2011 to target a far wider high group of taxpayers whose income means they are not considered wealthy enough to be scrutinised by HMRC’s high net worth unit. The affluent unit now investigates the tax affairs of UK residents with an annual income of over £150,000 or wealth of over £1m, which makes up around 500,000 taxpayers in the UK. Taxpayers with assets worth over £20m are dealt with by HMRC’s high net worth unit.
HMRC’s affluent unit doubled in size in 2013, with the recruitment of an additional 100 inspectors, and its remit was also expanded to cover those with a private wealth of more than £1m, down from the previous threshold of £2.5m.
This surge in extra revenue from affluent unit tax investigations serves as a reminder that HMRC is widening its lines of inquiry. It is no longer focusing solely on the super-rich. People who would just consider themselves moderately successful are now also coming under the scrutiny of HMRC’s specialist units.
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