Dave Hartnett, director general of HM Revenue & Customs, has never shied away from criticising tax advisers in the past, arguing that they drive a wedge between taxpayer and taxman and engage in unacceptable avoidance.

Hartnett, of course, secretly loves sparring with the industry. Next month, though, he will change tack in the first of a series of HMRC podcasts. Hartnett will admit that the taxman’s intervention strategy has alienated agents and that the relationship between HMRC and advisers needs to improve.

‘Hartnett will say that we need to make a fresh start with advisers and that HMRC will learn from the mistakes it has made in the past,’ an HMRC spokesman said.

It is a gesture that tax experts think is long overdue: ‘If Dave Hartnett is going to come out and say this publicly, it is a serious step forward. This message shows that HMRC has realised it has nothing to gain by hitting out at advisers,’ said Grant Thornton’s Francesca Lagerberg.

The reconciliatory gesture from Hartnett is the latest in a series of moves from the taxman to improve its relationship with advisers.

HMRC has recently pledged to revamp its litigation strategy and only pursue cases that it feels it has a chance of winning. The taxman has also promised to reduce the administrative burden of tax for business as part of the Varney review.

Lagerberg was hopeful about such moves: ‘It is win-win if we work together, and I hope that these public messages are backed by the genuine intention to take our issues on board,’ she said.