HMRC netted £256m from underpaid capital gains tax (CGT) last tax year, up 41%from £182m in 2023-24, as more than 10,000 capital gains tax (CGT) compliance checks were conducted, the highest number in at least five years, according to analysis by BCLP, the international law firm. 

Interestingly, the CGT recovered had bumped along at around £180m a year since covid, showing no sign of any improvement, despite a major uptick in property sales after the pandemic, due to removal of lower stamp duty land tax thresholds, a measure only sunsetted this April. 

The checks generally relate to tax returns filed in earlier periods, with HMRC focusing on property owners who have avoided CGT with targeted activity.