You can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Tax) if you want to challenge some decisions by HMRC, Border 
Force or the National Crime Agency. The tribunal is independent of government and will listen to both sides of the argument before making a decision.
However before going down this route it’s worth taking expert advice and considering the Alternative Dispute Resolution service before escalating your complaint to the tribunal service. We’ve blogged about the ADR and you can read what we said here.
The HM Courts and Tribunals Service tax appeal online service lets people submit their appeal online in certain cases:
- direct tax: you must appeal to HMRC first. These taxes include Income Tax, PAYE tax, Corporation Tax, Capital Gains Tax, National Insurance contributions, Statutory Sick Pay, Statutory Maternity Pay, Inheritance Tax
- indirect tax: you can usually appeal straight to the tribunal. Such taxes include VAT, excise duty, customs duty.
But remember, you must appeal within the time limit, it’ll usually be on your decision letter from HMRC. That’s why it’s so important that you don’t delay getting professional advice.
If the online appeal route is right for you, your appeal will be submitted to the tax tribunal, and if deemed appropriate considered by a judge and proceed to a hearing.
To use the online service you will need a scan or photo of the original notice or review conclusion letter, and reasons for appeal to copy and paste into the application or attach as a document. It is also possible to use this service to apply to close an enquiry.
You’ll find more information about the online appeals process to the tax tribunal on the .Gov website. But don’t forget if you want to involve an expert in resolving your tax issue with HMRC do so as soon as possible. Give the Bedrock team a call today if you’d like to discuss how we may be able to assist you.
