Taxman gets tough - particularly with self-employed

HM Revenue and Customs has doubled the number of people being investigated in the past years, with a particular focus on the self-employed.

This has raised some concerns that people who make innocent mistakes are finding themselves subject to scrutiny.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the tax man made inquiries about the tax affairs of 237,215 people last year, compared with about 119,000 in 2011-12.

The number of self-employed people investigated has quadrupled in that time while annual prosecutions have risen sevenfold in three years.

This is in line with the onus on HMRC to increase their take and minimise the estimated £35 billion of tax lost every year.

It also follows pledges by HMRC and their political leader to crack down on perceived areas of tax avoidance.