Defending Against HMRC Investigations

Patrick Cannon is a leading London tax barrister with over 30 years of experience successfully representing clients being investigated by HMRC for civil tax enquiries and criminal tax investigations.

Patrick can help you with COP 8 and 9 enquiries, challenging tax information notices and undertaking tax judicial reviews. Patrick can also provide advice and assistance, or legal representation if HMRC have opened a tax investigation into your tax affairs.

Patrick specialises in criminal and civil tax investigations. If a civil tax enquiry by HMRC grows into a criminal tax investigation, then Patrick Cannon will be able to handle this transition.

On the other hand, if a criminal tax investigation by HMRC is successfully downgraded to a civil tax enquiry, Patrick Cannon can advise and offer you representation at any stage.

Civil and criminal tax investigations can result in loss of reputation or livelihood unless handled correctly, so you can rest assured that Patrick is devoted to handling each case with the utmost care.

If HMRC has accused you of tax evasion, tax fraud or inaccuracies in your tax affairs, and are attacking you unfairly or unreasonably, then Patrick Cannon will defend you fearlessly. 

In cases where HMRC’s focus on your tax affairs is justified, Patrick will seek to manage your civil tax investigation in order to obtain a sensible settlement of the matter as discreetly, inexpensively and as quickly as possible.

While Patrick often acts for clients who instruct him via professional accountants and solicitors, he is also authorised by his regulator for Public Access and to conduct litigation. This means that he can accept instructions direct from clients without the client going through a solicitor or accountant, thus saving professional fees.

Patrick can also correspond directly with HMRC and others on your behalf in serious HMRC tax investigations.

Fixed fees are agreed with Patrick’s clerk in advance for each piece of work, compared with the traditional open-ended hourly rates still favoured by many advisers.

If you are subject to a HMRC tax investigation and would like to discuss how Patrick may be able to advise and assist you please contact him here for an initial discussion.

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For professional and insurance reasons Patrick is unable to offer any advice until he has been formally instructed.