HMRC woos FTSE 100 CFOs

Dave Hartnett, acting chairman of HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), has approached every FTSE 100 finance director, offering a lighter scrutiny of their taxes - if they agree to higher levels of disclosure and co-operation.

Hartnett’s offer came after he revealed to the Public Accounts Committee last week a big listed company had kept a 150-strong team of HMRC tax specialists busy, searching for evidence of tax avoidance or evasion.

In a letter emailed to the financial officers, Hartnett offered the FTSE 100 companies and other big corporates ways of reducing ‘risks affecting your reputation’, The Telegraph reported.

‘For 100 group members and other major corporates, this means we are providing an increasingly bespoke service,’ he said. ‘For those that work with us providing a high level of disclosure and transparency we can offer earlier certainty, helping you maintain a predictable, sustainable tax charge and reducing risks affecting your reputation.’

Further reading:

Tax inspectors swarm over listed company

HMRC launches change process to rebuild confidence

Read The Telegraph story