The creators of disguised remuneration schemes at least deserve high marks for imagination. From fine wine to racehorses, they have come up with a seemingly endless list of improbable ways of paying employees.

The latest offering, as revealed by Accountancy, saw a scheme marketed to companies which advocated that they pay their consultants in gold. HMRC has little truck with such schemes; last year it launched a concerted clampdown. Inevitably, some schemes slip through the net but they are seldom worth the risk and are usually doomed to fail.