A recent tribunal case (D White v HMRC) again highlighted the importance of keeping accurate records for tax purposes, this time in a case involving private expenditure on a company credit card.
The Director used the card for both business and private expenditure, but there were no accurate records to enable them to determine the amount of private expenditure. HMRC therefore argued that the Director’s loan account was incorrect and raised assessments under the rules on cash equivalent of benefits treated as earnings.
The taxpayer appealed against the assessments but had no evidence to show that the HMRC figures were incorrect. There was nothing to show that private expenditure had been reimbursed, or that the director’s loan account had been suitable adjusted.
The tribunal had no choice but to dismiss the appeal. This shows the importance of keeping accurate records as, once HMRC have raised an assessment, it is generally up to the taxpayer to prove that they are not correct. This can be difficult if the records are not sufficient to do so.