Originally revealed at its annual stakeholder conference last week, HMRC has confirmed more details of the Growth Support Service in an official announcement.

Under the plans, businesses turning over £10m or more or with 20 or more employees will have access to help with tax queries about their growing business, help supplying accurate information and co-ordinating technical expertise from across HMRC and support getting their tax right first time and access relevant incentives or reliefs. The bespoke service will generally last between three to six months, although some engagements my last longer if needed. Companies may return to the service too, if they wish.

Businesses who meet the eligibility requirements can apply online. They will then be contacted by their dedicated growth support specialist at HMRC, to discuss their requirements. HMRC is hoping to target businesses in manufacturing, for example building, printing or maintenance firms, information and communication such as IT or software companies, film makers or publishers, administrative and support services, including vehicle hire companies, recruitment agencies or call centres.

Professional, scientific and technical services including law and accountancy firms or quantity surveyors and wholesale and retail for example high street shops, food and drink outlets or car showrooms are also targeted.

The financial secretary to the Treasury Mel Stride said: ‘Mid-sized businesses make vital contribution to the UK economy and I want to see them grow, succeed and prosper. The Growth Support Service will help these expanding businesses access tailored tax assistance so that tax administration doesn’t stand in the way of their growth and ensures businesses can focus on finding new opportunities.’

The facility will be similar to that already enjoyed by large businesses, which has seen multinationals allocated individual points of contact at HMRC and in the past led to critics suggesting the tax authority was too close to big business.

In a session at the conference, HMRC moved to address its relationship with large businesses, which it said is ‘widely reported but often misunderstood’, adding that since 2010, it has brought in £53bn in additional revenue from multinationals.

In a similar session, HMRC premiered an animation designed to address ‘misconceptions’ around its relationship with large businesses, revealing multinationals overall contributed £225bn of tax in 2016/17, amounting to 40% of the total yield.

Report by Calum Fuller