HMRC has updated the Code of Practice 8 (COP8) guidance which explains how the Fraud and Bespoke Avoidance section of the Specialist Investigations directorate of HMRC carries out investigations
COP8 applies to all investigations where Contract Disclosure Facilities (CDF) under COP9 are not used.
The guidance has been updated to replace ‘Civil Investigation of Fraud’ with ‘Contract Disclosure Facilities’ in its references to COP9.
The section on ‘Paying tax during our enquiries’ has been updated to advise that a Certificate of Tax Deposit may be purchased to reduce interest charges in an on-going enquiry.
Under the Certificate of Tax Deposit scheme, deposits can be made with HMRC for later use to pay off certain tax liabilities. The deposits attract interest on a daily basis for up to six years and can be withdrawn at any time.
HMRC web links in the guidance have also been updated.
The updated guidance is available at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/pdfs/cop8.pdf