The number may be up for cheeky firms that impersonate official HMRC sites and charge hefty fees to claim tax rebates taxpayers can do themselves for nothing.
The Government is clamping down on the companies - which often advertise on social media - and confuse people into thinking they are official His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) services. It is only when they get a bill for up to 48% of the value of the rebate that they realise they have been ripped off.
HMRC received more than 2,200 complaints about repayment agents between January 2022 and October 2022, and launched a consultation last year. It has now published the new measures, including tax rebate firms now having to register with HMRC and improve their standards so customers fully understand what they are signing up for.
