Accountancy Age has been digging about the prospect of another UK tax amnesty. The last only really affected the activities of the UK's five biggest banks - Barclays, Lloyds, HBOS (as was), HSBC and RBS. It successfully showed the massive support they provide to those who evade their taxes using the Crown Dependencies - for which they deny any responsibility and which they fought long and hard to hide on behalf of those who were breaching UK law - but it also left out vast numbers using other banks and more specialist organisations.<\/p>\n
So, amnesty number 2 is on its way. As the Age<\/a> says:<\/p>\n As many as 500 financial institutions will receive letters from HM Revenue & Customs by the end of March asking them to disclose details of UK taxpayers with accounts held offshore, Accountancy Age has learned.<\/p>\n According to a source familiar with the plans, contact with the banks would be the first stage in offering tens of thousands of account holders the opportunity to come clean, through a second offshore disclosure facility or amnesty - on the funds they are holding overseas.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n And as they also report:<\/p>\n According to Richard Murphy, tax campaigner at the Tax Justice Network, Swiss investment bank UBS could be a top target for HMRC after US authorities imposed a $780m (\u00a3537m) on the bank for failing to disclose the details of account holders.<\/p>\n Several tax experts told Accountancy Age they expect HMRC to target customers of Swiss and private banks, including SG Hambros and Credit Swiss.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n They got a comment from Jersey as well:<\/p>\n Robert Kirkby, technical director at Jersey Finance, a government association for banks trading on the island, said HMRC could not be 'too aggressive with a second amnesty'.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Or in other words \"please be kind on our poor criminal clients\".<\/p>\n\n
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