HMRC has the power to issue a notice requiring the provision of documents or information from a taxpayer or third party and there can be penalties for non-compliance (although sometimes a pre-cursor notice is issued instead and less formality is required). It will be key to understand which documents are relevant and reasonably required in order to check the tax position.

 

In this podcast we give examples of what that means in practice and look at time limits, what to do if you suspect HMRC are conducting a "fishing expedition" and some useful tips on strategy.