TTPP111: HMRC Tax Fraud Investigations: What COP9 Is and How To Prevent Disaster with Lucy Sauvage

Better serve your clients, should they be caught up in tax fraud or a Code of Practice 9 (COP9) situation. Lucy Sauvage, our guest for this episode, explains what COP9 is, what a typical COP9 enquiry looks like, advice to prevent you messing up a COP9 enquiry, examples of common tax frauds and a story where Lucy’s client left HMRC with almost no choice but to pursue a criminal investigation into them.

Show notes: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/TTPP111

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You’ll Learn

• A bit about Lucy’s career
• (4:45) A big about COP9 and what it is
• (7:30) Who instigates COP9? HMRC or taxpayer?
• (9:00) What is and isn’t tax fraud?
• (13:00) What prompts HMRC to open a COP9 enquiry?
• (16:30) What a typical COP9 enquiry looks like, the process
• (24:15) What are some of the tax frauds Lucy has seen? Examples
• (32:15) Risks associated with going down the COP9 route (to taxpayer and their tax advisor/accountant)
• (37:45) Can COP9 apply to businesses as well as individuals?
• (39:45) Any COP9 disaster stories that Lucy has
• (47:00) Typical COP9 mistakes and how tax advisors and taxpayers avoid COP9 going badly?
• (51:15) Should COP9 enquiries always be handled by specialists?

Resources

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Tax Research Masterclass – finding the answer to tax questions, using tax legislation and guidance
Tax Advice Masterclass – how to provide high-quality tax advice that clients value

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Contact Me:

jack@thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackbonehill94/ 

Chapters

• 0:00 audioJackBonehill32307162825 and audioSAUVAL22307162825
• 4:54 A bit about COP9, the topic for this episode, and what it is
• 7:37 Does HMRC have to offer COP9 as an option for tax fraud situations?
• 7:57 Who instigates COP9
• 9:11 What exactly is tax fraud and isn't tax fraud?
• 13:05 What prompts HMRC to open a COP9 enquiry?
• 16:40 What a typical COP9 enquiry looks like, the process
• 20:45 The difficulty with disclosing ALL tax errors over previous 20 years
• 24:18 What are some of the tax frauds Lucy has seen? Examples
• 32:22 Risks associated with going down the COP9 route (to taxpayer and their tax advisor/accountant)
• 37:49 Can COP9 apply to businesses as well as individuals?
• 39:59 Any COP9 disaster stories that Lucy has
• 47:07 Situations where none COP9 specialists have dealt with COP9. Typical mistakes
• 50:27 How can tax advisors and taxpayers avoid COP9 going badly?
• 51:30 Should COP9 enquiries always be handled by specialists?