I know someone who did this. He told the tax man that he had been just about surviving by earning just enough to keep his head above water and gained low paid labouring jobs by standing around in B&Q carparks with the immigrants seeking work by asking anyone who pulled up in a van if they had a days work for £40 or £50 a day.

He told them it was pointless hitting him with a huge bill as he would not be able to pay it and it would only force him to continue to work in the black economy for The rest of his life. They agreed on a payment of £2000 which he paid. And then got a job as a plasterer paying his taxes ever since. So it worked out best for all concerned.

I think the first step for the OP’s pal is to sit down with a calculator – work out what he’s earned, work out what genuine expenses he as (if he’s kept such records) and do a back of the fagpacket calculation of what he’s underpaid. I’d suspect its ‘a lot but not enough to go to prison for’ so thats worth considering if he’s tempted to tell any lies.

At the moment the only thing he’s guilty of is doing nothing – of not doing what he should have done. Being guilty of doing ‘something’ that he shouldn’t have is probably worth avoiding.

I think this is definitely the starting point, they need to make a concerted effort to figure what they’ve been up to for the last 10 years and get it written down as much as possible.. Think I’ll take that approach firstly.

btw you all seem to assume this is a He, i don’t think i’ve said either way? Is that because youse think women aren’t daft enough to do something like this? 😆

seosamh77 – Member
Also, say they approached an accountant with this problem, what’s the accountants responsibilities there, are they under obligation to report this, is there a client secrecy privilege/obligation?

Any thoughts on this point?

I’m sorry – not my intent. But that’s what happens on a forum, rarely does it stick to exactly the question as posed. And I was answering, and then got diverted by the my own answer, about the point on P1 where someone suggested they say they’d been abroad for 10 years. My limited experience with HMRC is that if they sniff that it’s untrue then they will **** you over.

I was then answering chakaping about whether it’s better to get him back into the system from now, or have him continuing to avoid. And I stick by my answer that actually neither is correct. If it was purely a binary question, then yes, start from now is clearly the better answer to me but suspect that the taxman will want some answers too.

You want solutions – I’d come clean, and see what arrangement can be made. Painful as it might be, at least she’s sorted then and won’t live in fear that the taxman might suddenly say ‘Hang on?’

If an accountant is doing your taxes they know how to save you money using the laws as they are, but I doubt they will help you fiddle as they themself could lose their livelyhood . But if you went to an accountant and asked them for advice telling them the facts they could advise you and not report you.

But then you could not use them if you wanted to be economic with the truth because they would know different and then be complicit with your fiddling.

Unless they are bent, of course.

Cheers Chip, aye that makes sense.

A nearly similar situation here, no chance of bigbucks for me. I have never earned over the personal allowance and no normal life but it still worries me and can understand your friend feeling trapped. I have now ended up in a relationship with a baby on the way and feeling the pressure to fix the problem. can you get your mate to fess up and let me know what happened?