Bid to protect people from being tempted into tax avoidance

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Advertising Standards Authority ( ASA) have launched new measures to cut out misleading marketing by promoters of tax avoidance schemes.

Their joint enforcement notice aims to disrupt the activity of promoters and protect people from being presented with misleading adverts which may tempt them into tax avoidance.

It requires promoters to be clear about the potential consequences of tax avoidance in any online advertisements.

Immediate sanctions include having their paid advertising removed from search engines and follow- up compliance action, which can include referral to Tr a d i n g Standards.

New HMRC figures show Aberdeen has the highest number of people in Scotland per 100,000 who used tax avoidance schemes during 2018 and 2019, at 69.

HMRC said: “We’re doing our part to close down these schemes and make it diffic ult for promoters, but we need the public to play their part too.

“You really don’t need to be a tax expert to spot an avoidance scheme – anything that sounds too good to be true almost certainly is and anything which claims you can take home, say, 90% of your pay, or asks you to sign up to loans from an offshore trust just so you can be paid, is something to steer clear of.”

The ASA added: “Working with bodies such as the HMRC is helping us to be tter protect consumers from misleading and unfair advertising that can leave them out of pocket.”

Unscrupulous promoters are being targeted.