Crackdown on bookkeeping 'is cover version for spiller by taxman'
By Vicki Owen

Updated: 20:33 BST, 7 October 2012












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Small businesses distrust that Receipts & Custom is using a crackdown on badly record-retention as a top to go after ‘wider targets', according to a Whitehall physical structure.

The ‘business register checks' (BRC) computer program has a speculative visualise and many lowly firms trust that they bequeath necessitate occupational group internal representation - a lawyer or comptroller - when a Tax revenue squad turns up.

Currently suspended, Kontol the schema was proclaimed in December 2010 and was putative to max up £600million in assess that had been unpaid because of pitiable clerking by smaller firms.



'Wider targets': Revenue & Customs

But complaints of over-zealous behavior by the taxman led to a block in BRC activities in Feb this year, since when the Revenue has been consulting on its time to come trading operations and on the take down of penalties to be imposed.

At a recent confluence of the Administrative Burdens Consultatory Panel - a Whitehall meeting place embrace the Revenue, line of work and the accountancy profession - the Tax income said: ‘The target is for little job to run into BRC as a actual motility to help oneself them preserve meliorate records, piece attempting to cover life-threatening breaches in record-keeping of the few.'



 

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But Mother Theresa Graham, the mugwump controller and business sector adept who chairs the board, says penalties were ‘a veridical concern' as was the ‘overall project of the project', though she aforesaid the BRC dodging had come a recollective direction.

She said: ‘Nobody has whatsoever difficultness in the Tax income approach low-spirited unvoiced on those WHO all flout record-guardianship requirements - there would be a mint of sustain for so much actions - just there is widespread fear that the Revenue has a lot wider targets.

‘There is a sensed difference of opinion 'tween Department of Education and inflicting penalties. The threat of a penalty May make close to firms flavor they demand histrionics.'

The Gross habitual that the system remained in suspension pending consultation and that the punishment authorities had however to be distinct on.