HMRC’s crackdown on tax avoidance has created a huge backlog of cases, with 28,521 disputes waiting to be heard by the First Tier Tax Tribunal at the end of 2016/17, according to Clara Boyd, legal director at Pinsent Masons. The number of complex cases launched in the Upper Tax Tribunal also surged last year to 404 from 288 in the previous year. Boyd said: ‘What some commentators see as HMRC’s aggressive litigation strategy can mean rulings take longer to reach—growing the backlog of cases. HMRC will give no ground and frequently will want to win every point.’
26 April 2018
Tax backlog swells
MOVERS & SHAKERS
NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson
Daniel Burbeary, office managing partner of Michelman Robinson, discusses launching in London, the power of the law, and what the kitchen can teach us about litigating
Sidley—Jeremy Trinder
Global finance group strengthened by returning partner in London
Joelson—Jennifer Mansoor
West End firm strengthens employment and immigration team with partner hire
NEWS
Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
In a striking financial remedies ruling, the High Court cut a wife’s award by 40% for coercive and controlling behaviour. Writing in NLJ this week, Chris Bryden and Nicole Wallace of 4 King’s Bench Walk analyse LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473
A €60.9m award to Kylian Mbappé has refocused attention on football’s controversial ‘ethics bonus’ clauses. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Estelle Ivanova of Valloni Attorneys at Law examines how such provisions sit within French labour law
A seemingly dry procedural update may prove potent. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold explains that new CPR 31.12A—part of the 193rd update—fills a ‘lacuna’ exposed in McLaren Indy v Alpa Racing
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
