It has been reported that on 10 June 2011 several letters were sent by HMRC to medical professionals who did not make a disclosure (or a complete one) using the Tax Health Plan or any other disclosure regime, along with a request to call a HMRC helpline within 21 days.
Underpinning the Tax Health Plan was HMRC’s ability to obtain details of amounts paid to individual doctors and dentists from third parties, using its information disclosure powers. This information is then capable of being risk assessed by HMRC in conjunction with that person’s tax returns. Where there is a discrepancy, and no disclosure has been made, HMRC are likely to investigate further.
For any medical professional who has a disclosure to make the message is clear - take action now. There are a range of options available to HMRC, including the use of Code of Practice 9 (CPO9) which deals with cases of suspected serious fraud - see details on the CPO9. In the most serious cases the matter could result in criminal prosecution.
It is also worth considering that, depending on the circumstances, it may still be possible for a medical professional to disclose using the Liechtenstein Disclosure Facility (LDF) which has a number of unique benefits - see details on the LDF.
