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  Fenlandphil January 8, 2012 at 9:23pm

  I wish they would go for the big fish first, it makes sense given their limited resources.
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  andy @Doughty Garden Maintenance January 8, 2012 at 9:27pm

  Christ!  who wants to wager that i'm one of the ones they'll check.

  Better get my paperwork in order before april!!
• PRO

  Nick @ NM Garden Services Ltd January 8, 2012 at 9:30pm

  I agree. Although I bet many a small business has accounting inaccuracies, cash only jobs which never make the books etc and probably make easy targets for HMRC.
  
  I guess we all have to do our bit to prove HMRC wrong?!
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  andy @Doughty Garden Maintenance January 8, 2012 at 10:14pm

  Nice one Rowly, I think i'll compose one for my MP too.
  
  Rowly Hill said:

  HMRC- it's a government department. I don't like they way this looks and have written to my MP .. something along the lines of this. I don't see why we should sit about and take this and not try and make our voices heard.

  ***********************

  Hello Mr Pritchard,

  I am a director of a very small garden and grounds maintenance business based in Newport, Shropshire.

  I am slightly concerned about a report in the Telegraph today informing us that they will be ignoring ( well that's how it was reported) large business's and targeting SME's in an attempt to unearth accounting deficiencies and recoup under paid tax or in the worse case scenarios undercover avoidance and impose what could be business collapsing fines. The title of the article, I believe was along the lines of "Crackdown on small firms, a blind eye for big business"

  I've no time for any business who fails to meet the required standards and if selected for inspection would be happy for the HMRC to look at our accounts and paperwork.

  What I am not happy with is the injustice and seeming double standards being applied here. Who cares if the HMRC workforce has been cut to the bone - apply the rules equally to everyone big and small. This is a democracy isn't it and everyone is treated equally aren't they?

  I look forward to your reply and reading about how you will be addressing this injustice.

  P.S. Please don't send me a stock reply or one from one of you underlings and insult my intelligence - I used to write them in the past and I can spot them a mile away.

  Thanks

  R Hill
  Hill's Gardens and Grounds Care
  Newport
  Shropshire
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  John Baker January 11, 2013 at 11:12am

  Not much advice on here on what to expect. I have just been pinged for a visit...a useful kick in the rear to get things up to date in the next few days, but has anybody else had one of these and if so how was it conducted?
  I am not worried as such unless they start expecting details from years back which I have but will be somewhere in a massive pile of other paperwork somewhere in my barn.
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  Richard Boyd January 11, 2013 at 5:12pm

  If you are up to date and fairly well organised I would not expect more than a quick look through, a cup of tea and a chat. Most HMRC bods I've met seem to be (as you'd expect) pros, however, if your paper work looks suspect or they think you are being a bit naughty then they may load up a vehicle will the docks and ride of in to the sun set...which will be a time consuming experience for all concerned.

  What pisses me off is crap like "During a pilot exercise last year, 12 per cent of the businesses examined were judged to have record-keeping practices that were significantly sub-standard."

  That's meaningless drivel on the reporting side and does nothing to actually help businesses see any kind of benchmark to standardize to. I also wonder about companies that are overpaying taxes, what are they going to do to them fine them for overpaying? That would be farcical...an example of why I no longer bother with anything to do with MSM if you need to know something find a pro.
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  Colin Hunt January 11, 2013 at 5:28pm

  I think the cut off is 6 years back John.

  We had a VAT check many years ago and an IR check about 4 years ago.

  With the first, the VAT inspector sat in my office(shed!) and worked from there for a morning only, mainly picking up on any large reclaims for materials, making sure she could tie them to jobs.

  The IR however, decided to check just one year and I had to deliver all of the relevant paperwork for that year to them. I then received a letter asking a number of questions, which were all easily answered. One was ‘where do you get your cash spending money from’? The fact that on my monthly spreadsheets there was a column marked ‘Personal’ and every week there a cash sum marked ‘ATM Machine’ - should have been a clue really!

  On both occasions we were clear, as I expected, but it does give you a kick up the backside to keep your records up to date at all times.
  
  John Baker said:

  Not much advice on here on what to expect. I have just been pinged for a visit...a useful kick in the rear to get things up to date in the next few days, but has anybody else had one of these and if so how was it conducted?
  I am not worried as such unless they start expecting details from years back which I have but will be somewhere in a massive pile of other paperwork somewhere in my barn.