Mark McLaughlin points out that HMRC’s attempts to apportion blame simply to assess tax over extended periods can and should be resisted.
The long arm allowing HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to go back to previous years to charge extra tax only extends so far.
If an individual’s tax return is submitted online to HMRC within the normal time limit of 31 January following the end of the relevant tax year, HMRC may generally open an enquiry into the return up to the end of the 12-month period after the day on which the return was delivered.
Extended time limits
However, if this enquiry window has closed, HMRC may use its ‘discovery’ powers to assess closed years, within certain limits.
For income tax and capital gains tax (CGT) purposes, the ‘ordinary’ time limit for HMRC to make a discovery assessment is
