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21 June 2007 / Gary Summers , Mark Howard , Susan Bradshaw
Issue: 7278 / Categories: Features , Tax
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The ticking time bomb (2)

The ever-changing HMRC landscape requires increased vigilance from financial professionals, say Gary Summers, Mark Howard and Susan Bradshaw

Contemporary UK law enforcement strategies—referred to in the first article of this two-part series (see NLJ, 11 May 2007, pp 660–61)—appear to have been based on previous initiatives by the Internal Revenue Service in the US. This is yet another example of the extra-territorial ambit of US statutory regulation since 9/11 which is fast becoming all-pervading.

Pasquantino

In the offshore arena, the decision of the US Supreme Court in Pasquantino v US (2005) 125 S Ct 1766 that a scheme to defraud a foreign government of tax revenue violates the US wire fraud statute providing there is a US link—despite the revenue rule, a common law doctrine prohibiting US courts from enforcing a foreign state’s domestic tax infrastructure—is highly significant. Such a link could be established if the transaction was in US dollars. Frequent worldwide travellers will appreciate the ambit of this decision, which makes the prosecution of a foreign

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Firm awards training contracts to paralegals through internal programme

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Cumbria firm appoints new head of residential property

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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