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HMRC Warns 700,000 Workers Over ‘Bills of Exchange’ Tax Avoidance Scam

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HMRC Warns 700,000 Workers Over ‘Bills of Exchange’ Tax Avoidance Scam

HM Revenue & Customs has fired a fresh warning shot at Britain’s flexible workforce, urging an estimated 700,000 umbrella workers, and the agencies and end-clients that engage them, to steer well clear of a rapidly growing scheme that claims, falsely, that personal IOUs can be used to settle a tax bill.

In a formal issue briefing published this month, the tax authority confirmed it has seen a sharp uptick in attempts to discharge PAYE and other liabilities using so-called ‘Bills of Exchange’. Promoters, many of them linked to the recruitment and payroll sectors, are marketing the arrangements as a legitimate, and in some cases, brazenly, as a government-endorsed, route to wiping out a tax debt.

They are nothing of the sort.

“HMRC does not accept Bills of Exchange against a tax liability,” the department said bluntly, adding that Organised Crime Groups are “particularly active” in the temporary labour space where the schemes are being aggressively pitched.

What is a ‘bill of exchange’?

The instrument itself is a creature of Victorian commerce, codified in the Bills of Exchange Act 1882. In plain terms, it is a written note from one party requiring another to pay an agreed sum to them or to a third party on demand or at a fixed future date — the original mercantile ‘IOU’.

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Crucially, even a properly drafted Bill carries no obligation on the recipient to accept it as payment. As HMRC reminds anyone tempted to try, “the recipient has no legal obligation to accept it”. The tax authority has made clear that it will not — and never has — accept a Bill of Exchange against a tax liability.

How the scam works

According to HMRC, the playbook used by promoters is depressingly familiar to anyone who has tracked the procession of tax avoidance schemes named and shamed in recent years. The pitch typically rests on four pillars:

  • A claim that a Bill of Exchange can legally settle a debt with HMRC, in place of cash.
  • Assurances that workers can sidestep PAYE or other employment tax obligations using the arrangement.
  • A hefty fee, sometimes wrapped up as a ‘membership’ or ‘administration’ charge, to join or operate the scheme.
  • Misleading suggestions that the model is HMRC-compliant or, more outrageously, government-backed.

Variations on the theme reference money orders, Public Trusts, Merchant Law and Negotiable Instruments, pseudo-legal language designed to give a thin veneer of sophistication to what amounts to a refusal to pay.

Why this matters for sme owners

For the small and medium-sized businesses that make up the backbone of the UK economy, the risks extend well beyond the individual workers being targeted. With incoming rules from April 2026 making recruitment agencies and end-clients jointly and severally liable for PAYE where an umbrella company sits in the labour supply chain, SMEs that engage contingent workers will be in the firing line if non-compliance is found further down the chain.

Put bluntly, a hospitality group using agency staff, a logistics firm bringing in temporary drivers, or a professional services partnership hiring through an umbrella could end up footing the bill if a Bill of Exchange scheme is later unwound, even if the directors never knew it existed.

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Seb Maley, chief executive of compliance specialist Qdos, said the warning was a timely reminder of how exposed the supply chain has become.

“HMRC’s warning highlights the very real dangers that tax avoidance schemes continue to pose, not just to the some 700,000 people that work through umbrella companies but also the businesses that engage them,” he said.

“Bills of Exchange are marketed as legitimate, or even falsely HMRC-approved, despite being anything but. And the truth is, they can leave anyone who uses them with massive tax bills, penalties and years of uncertainty.”

A recurring theme

The Bills of Exchange alert is the latest in a long line of HMRC interventions against schemes targeting the contractor and umbrella market. As the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales has noted, the recurrence of these models, repackaged with new language but the same flawed mechanics, points to a stubborn problem at the lower end of the labour supply chain.

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It also lands at a moment when IR35 and broader off-payroll rules continue to weigh heavily on Britain’s freelance economy. With tax pressures already cited by contractors as their single biggest concern, the proliferation of dubious ‘solutions’ promising to ease the burden is hardly surprising — but the consequences for those drawn in can be severe.

What businesses should do now

Owner-managers and finance directors engaging temporary labour are being urged to:

  • Audit their supply chain and confirm the tax status of every umbrella provider in use.
  • Refuse to deal with any operator promoting Bills of Exchange, money orders or ‘negotiable instrument’ structures as a means of settling tax.
  • Encourage workers to check payslips against HMRC’s own pay-checker tool, and to flag anything that looks too good to be true.
  • Take advice from a qualified tax professional, not an agency salesperson, before signing up to any payroll model that promises unusually high take-home pay.

HMRC has urged anyone already caught up in a Bills of Exchange arrangement to come forward and make a disclosure, warning that those who do not act may face enforcement action, interest, penalties and even insolvency proceedings.

For SME owners, the message from the Revenue could hardly be plainer: if the promoter says it’s a clever way around the rules, it almost certainly isn’t.


Amy Ingham

Amy is a newly qualified journalist specialising in business journalism at Business Matters with responsibility for news content for what is now the UK’s largest print and online source of current business news.

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Domino’s Pizza Stock For A Rising Dividend And Appreciation (NASDAQ:DPZ)

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Domino’s Pizza Stock For A Rising Dividend And Appreciation (NASDAQ:DPZ)

This article was written by

Founder of Bern Factor LLC, an independent research and publishing firm located in Virginia. Author of “Making Wall Street Irrelevant – Successful Investing Made Simple.” I have more than 40 years of investing and analysis experience. I am a former CPA (1990 -2017) and became a CFA charter holder in 2000. I consider myself an expert in Quantitative and Qualitative analysis and have extensive experience in Technical Analysis. I also have a deep interest in stock market history and hold degrees in Economics (BS) and Management Information Systems (MBA). I have been actively involved with investment analysis since 1985 but have been a student of investing since the 1960s. I owned my first individual stock position while still in high school. I am a student of Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett. I have achieved a uniquely diverse experience from multiple careers that has allowed me to develop a broad perspective enabling me to look at the big picture of macroeconomics all the way down to the detail of a retail unit or factory floor. In my youth I was in retail, then served in reconnaissance during my tours in Vietnam. I have been a blue collar, union worker in a factory and a manager in services, hospitality and transportation as well as a manager of professional staffs. I have more than 20 years of experience each in both the public and private sectors. I have personal points of reference that many analysts will never have. I bring more to the table than just the theories and models I have studied or built.

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of DPZ either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

DISCLAIMER: This analysis is not advice to buy or sell this or any stock; it is just pointing out an objective observation of unique patterns that developed from our research. Factual material is obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but the poster is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results of actions taken based on information contained herein. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer to buy or sell securities or to give individual investment advice.

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Micron: AI's Memory King Still Can't Escape The Cycle

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Micron: AI's Memory King Still Can't Escape The Cycle

Micron: AI's Memory King Still Can't Escape The Cycle

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China’s industrial output growth quickens in May but retail sales and investment contract

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China’s industrial output growth quickens in May but retail sales and investment contract


China’s industrial output growth quickens in May but retail sales and investment contract

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China’s May retail sales fall for first time in over three years

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China’s May retail sales fall for first time in over three years


China’s May retail sales fall for first time in over three years

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Japan raises interest rate to highest since 1995

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Japan raises interest rate to highest since 1995

“Even if the situation remains unclear, should it be judged that upside risks to prices outweigh downside risks to economic activity, it will be necessary to thoroughly discuss the pros and cons of raising the policy interest rate,” Ueda earlier this month.

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SoftBank Vision Fund CFO to leave company after a decade, Reuters reports

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SoftBank Vision Fund CFO to leave company after a decade, Reuters reports

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Asia stocks mixed on weak China data; Nikkei, ASX fall ahead c.bank meetings

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Asia stocks mixed on weak China data; Nikkei, ASX fall ahead c.bank meetings

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Sensex, Nifty rally 1% as US-Iran peace hopes spark risk-on sentiment

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Sensex, Nifty rally 1% as US-Iran peace hopes spark risk-on sentiment
Mumbai: Indian equities extended gains on Monday, with benchmark indices rising 1% after climbing as much as 1.7% during the session, as hopes of a peace deal between the US and Iran prompted traders to pare bearish bets, while easing crude oil prices lifted sentiment.

While the durability of the rally will depend on the finalisation of a deal, analysts said downside risks appear limited for now.

The NSE Nifty 50 gained 231 points, or 1%, to close at 23,853.90, after briefly crossing the 24,000 mark for the first time since May 29. The S&P BSE Sensex advanced 736.38 points, or 1%, to end at 76,264.33. Over the past two sessions, both indices have rallied as much as 3.3%.

Oil’s Well? D-St Goes Bang BangAgencies

fingers crossed over peace Sensex and Nifty rally 3.3% in past two sessions on short covering; ₹200 cr FPI inflow on Mon

“The rally on Monday and Friday was driven by short covering on hopes of a peace deal between the US and Iran, and while the sustainability of gains is not certain, the deal seems to be around the corner,” said Nilesh Jain, VP-Head of Technical and Derivative Research, Centrum Finverse.
The US and Iran said they have reached a new ceasefire agreement that will end a US blockade of Iranian ports and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, ending the months-long conflict that has kept investors on tenterhooks and kept oil prices elevated.

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With both sides showing willingness to bring the war to an end, Brent crude futures fell more than 5% to $85.8 a barrel on Monday. Across Asia, South Korea, Japan surged 5.2% and 5%, respectively, while Taiwan gained 2.8%. China and Hong Kong rose 1.6% and 0.5%.
“The reaction in oil prices after the peace deal was announced reassured investors that crude prices are not expected to sustain at elevated levels for longer and triggered a rally,” said Vaiibhavv Chugh, chief executive officer, Abakkus Mutual Fund. “The fear has toned down considerably, and optimism could build further,” he added.Realty stocks led the gains, with the Nifty Realty index surging 4%. The Nifty Consumer Durables and Auto indices climbed 2.9% and 2.6%, respectively.

Foreign portfolio investors bought shares worth a net ₹200 crore on Monday – after 11 consecutive sessions of selling, while domestic institutional investors bought shares worth ₹3,189.3 crore. So far in June, foreign investors have sold shares worth ₹41,967 crore.

“Foreign investors have pared some of their short positions, which contributed to the rally. However, towards the latter part of the session, participants booked some profits in the derivatives market,” said Abhilash Pagaria, Head of Alternative & Quantitative Research at Nuvama Wealth. If the deal is finalised, a significant source of uncertainty could be removed, potentially encouraging foreign investors to increase allocations to Indian equities, he said.

The India VIX volatility index fell 2.5% to 14.4. After spiking to around 29 at the height of the conflict, the gauge has retreated to more comfortable levels, suggesting investor anxiety has eased. “For the gains to be sustainable, Nifty must decisively close above 24,000,” said Jain.

He said intermittent declines could not be ruled out, but the Nifty could gradually move towards 24,500 during the June series if it breaks above the 24,000 mark.

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Broader markets outperformed the benchmarks, with the Nifty Midcap 150 and Nifty Smallcap 250 rising 1.5% and 1.3%, respectively. Over the past week, the two indices have gained 1% and 3%.

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Macaroni and cheese recall impacts more than 500,000 packages at Aldi stores

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Macaroni and cheese recall impacts more than 500,000 packages at Aldi stores

More than 500,000 packages of macaroni and cheese sold at Aldi stores nationwide have been recalled because they may contain undeclared soy lecithin, a soy-derived ingredient that can pose a risk to people with soy allergies or sensitivities.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, 58,405 cases of Park St. Deli Macaroni & Cheese are affected. Each case contains nine 20-ounce packages, bringing the total number of impacted packages to 525,645.

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The plastic tubs of macaroni and cheese were sold inside paperboard sleeves.

FDA ISSUES HIGHEST-RISK RECALL OF ALFREDO SAUCE SOLD IN 41 STATES

Aldi

More than 500,000 packages of macaroni and cheese sold at Aldi stores nationwide have been recalled. (Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

BEF Foods Inc., the product maker, initiated the voluntary recall on March 23, and the FDA classified it as a Class II recall on June 10.

A Class II recall means use of or exposure to the product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences, or that the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote, according to the FDA.

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Customers are urged not to consume the affected products and to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

MORE THAN 17K COFFEE MAKERS RECALLED AFTER DOZENS OF REPORTED BURN INJURIES

A bowl of macaroni and cheese.

The FDA said 58,405 cases containing nine 20-ounce packages each of the Park St. Deli Macaroni & Cheese are affected by the recall. (iStock / iStock)

Lecithin is a group of chemicals the body uses to move fats, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center.

They are found in various foods, including egg yolks, soybeans, wheat germ, peanuts and liver. Many people know lecithin as the oily film on their frying pan when they use a nonstick cooking spray.

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Some people also take them as supplements. They can come in capsules, liquid or granules.

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The FDA classified the recall as a Class II recall last week. (iStock / iStock)

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Lecithin is used in the food industry as an additive to combine foods, with salad dressing being one example.

Soy lecithin emulsifies ingredients like oil and water to blend the salad dressing into a smooth consistency, Judy Simon, a clinical dietitian nutritionist at the University of Washington, previously told USA TODAY.

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Indigenous water projects blend business with sustainability

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Indigenous water projects blend business with sustainability

Indigenous businesses and groups are starting to take on-country water monitoring and management into their own hands.

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