HMRC Cash Seizure
The Finance Bill currently in Parliament will authorise HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) with the right to seize money directly from the bank accounts of taxpayers who have failed to pay their taxes.
Under the rules, HMRC will be able to take money, but must leave the taxpayer with a minimum of £5,000 in their bank or building society accounts, and can only remove money from accounts containing a minimum £5,000. HMRC will be able to exercise ‘direct enforcement’ to collect tax debts of more than £1,000. It is estimated that this will generate about £100 million a year for the Treasury.
The changes do give the taxpayer the right to object to the County Court, although this may be of little use after the money has been seized.
Jennifer Carpenter became Managing Partner of the firm in January 2014. She was appointed as a Partner in January 2005, having qualified as a solicitor in 2000 after completing her training with the firm. She specialises in Employment, property dispute litigation and contentious probate. She has extensive experience of undertaking advocacy in the Magistrates Court, County Court and Employment Tribunals. Jennifer is also our Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration (COFA) and our Data Protection Officer.
