HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has issued its first tax avoidance Stop Notices to Paul Baxendale-Walker, a former solicitor, to halt the promotion of two abusive tax schemes. This groundbreaking action highlights HMRC's determination to combat tax avoidance on an individual level. The schemes involve offshore trusts and have been judged by HMRC to lack a genuine business purpose, instead aiming to exploit tax loopholes. Jonathan Smith, HMRC's Director of Counter Avoidance, emphasized the commitment to safeguarding public finances from tax evasion, reinforcing the agency's strengthened anti-avoidance framework and legal tools.
In a landmark move, HMRC confirmed that these Stop Notices mark the first time the orders have been issued to an individual rather than a company, underscoring the government's intent to clamp down on tax avoidance regardless of how schemes are structured.
Jonathan Smith, HMRC's Director of Counter Avoidance, said: "The courts have already concluded that Mr Baxendale-Walker designed and sold multiple tax avoidance schemes that don't work as claimed. These Stop Notices send a clear message: we will use every tool at our disposal to protect public finances from tax avoidance."
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