HMRC's Wealthy Team sends detailed tax inquiry letters to high-income Britons

HM Revenue & Customs' Wealthy Team, which serves the roughly 1.5% of Britons with incomes above £200,000 or assets over £2 million, has dispatched three-page letters demanding detailed disclosures of holdings, including properties, trusts and corporate interests. The correspondence invites a face-to-face or virtual meeting to build a comprehensive picture of each individual's tax position and recent complex transactions.

Legal advisers note the letters represent a dramatic change in the agency's tactics toward wealthy clients. Some recipients, including a billionaire, have likened the request to intrusive surveillance. The move coincides with upcoming budget plans that could grant HMRC broader powers to seize funds directly from accounts to recover unpaid taxes.