Tax

ICAEW has reported today that HMRC has provided them with a statement in regard to a letter sent to the taxpayers by its Fraud Investigations Services unit. The statement reads:

“We have recently seen some concerning claims. To prevent abuse of the Research & Development relief and protect legitimate customers, we have conducted additional checks. Where evidence leads us to believe that fraudulent claims may have been made, we will issue these letters which ask for more information to help verify the claims. We have not written to R&D claimants accusing them of fraud. These letters state that we have not opened a criminal investigation into suspected fraud but reserve the right to do so.”

The letter invites the recipient to contact HMRC within 30 days if they believe their R&D claim is genuine. The letter warns that anything the company states in their response could be used as evidence in any future criminal investigation.

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