SEARCH, INDEX, UPDATES, CONTENTS, INFORMATION, SEARCH WARRANT
A considerable number of tax payers and businesses are subject to tax investigations and VAT assurance visits, but occasionally, if the Inland Revenue or Customs & Excise have a major concern about your business, both organisations can arrange for the execution of a search warrant.
If may all be a mistake or a misunderstanding, your business may be impeccably run with excellent accounting records, and you may not have broken any rules or regulations, but what would you do?
Whatever the circumstances, by the time a search warrant is issued, a number of people will have had to be convinced that there is a case to answer, and a lot of resources will be used.
Typically up to eight Inland Revenue Special Compliance Officers will arrive to conduct the search of an average house, others your business premises, yet more possibly the premises of your accountant, solicitor, and bank although these normally request information rather than conduct their own search. You personally may be arrested by a police officer and taken to be formally interviewed under caution at a police station.
Hopefully it will never happen, but how would you react to a knock on the door typically at 7:00 a.m.? What about your diary for the day? Would you be surprised, annoyed or even angry?
Whatever your feelings, probably the best thing you can do is to remain calm. Remember that whatever the facts, someone thinks they have reason to be concerned, a serious procedure has been started and will not cease because you respond in a heated manner.
You will be given a copy of the warrant. Read it carefully. Cooperate, but say very little. You may later regret making what you think at the time to be an innocent comment or explanation. Remember that you probably do not know and will not be told what has started this process.
You may not be permitted to contact your accountant, but any member of your family, friend or employee, can.
Most accountants will not have been involved in circumstances where search warrants have been issued. You will need specialist advice. Possible contacts are the specialist departments of the larger firms of accountants such as KPMG or Baker Tilly, or independent groups of consultants such as WJB Chiltern, and your own or a specialist solicitor.
Reminder - disclaimer applies. Please feedback your comments. This page was last modified 27 April 2002.