If you believe you may have a tax problem, you already know you should take advice.
This can be tricky to ask for sometimes as you may already know you have a potentially serious tax problem and would rather not admit it or share it with others.
I have had clients come to me with what they thought were quite serious problems but actually in their unique situation the actual outcome was quite bearable and a great relief to have the problem resolved.
HMRC have a terrible habit of escalating their power whenever they do not hear from you the taxpayer. If HMRC do not receive a tax return when they ask for one, they start to estimate what income you might have had, calculate the tax they think is due and start issuing demands all without you knowing about it.
This happens often where you have left the UK, moved and not kept HMRC up to date with correspondence addresses.
In one extreme case a client came to me after he had been made bankrupt by HMRC’s action in court without him even knowing about it. Serving papers at a last know address is sufficient for HMRC to proceed.
Unfortunately tax advisers are not bound by the same legal privilege that solicitors are and so if forced by a court I would be expected to hand over papers relating to a client.
If you find yourself in a tricky position I suggest you contact me by telephone to discuss and this way you are not placed in a compromised position and we can discuss your situation in general terms. This is often enough to help set your mind at rest.