UK to clamp down on R&D tax relief abuse

HMRC to tackle advisers who cold-call and then charge companies for “dubious tax claims”

HMRC has launched a consultation on its plans to focus more on R&D tax credit compliance from April 2023, with the creation of a cross-cutting team focused on abuse of the system.

The move follows what HMRC calls “recent emergence of R&D advisers” who cold-call companies and “take advantage of customers who are unfamiliar with claiming for R&D, often charging on a commission basis, and submit numerous dubious claims”.