HMRC caps offshore penalty at 10%
Penalty to remain the same for second round of disclosures
HM Revenue and Customs has confirmed there will be a 10% penalty for UK
taxpayers who voluntarily disclose unpaid tax on accounts held offshore.
A spokesman for HMRC said that the 10% penalty on the outstanding tax owed,
plus interest, for the second amnesty will only apply to taxpayers who were not
covered by the first amnesty in 2007. This targeted the five major retail banks
– Barclays, HSBC, HBOS, Lloyds and RBS.
The spokesman said that those who had previously had an opportunity to come
forward will be subject to a higher penalty, but was unable to confirm what this
is likely to be.
‘This is the last chance for people with offshore assets to get things sorted
in an advantageous way,’ he said.
The spokesman said for all first-time disclosures, the penalty is strictly
10%, irrespective of the amount of undeclared funds.
‘It’s the behaviour we’re interested in, not the amount of money,’ he said.
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