SPECIALIST teams of tax inspectors are focusing on the property sector in the North West and North Wales in the Governments latest tax clampdown.

The intensive burst of compliance activity is part of a £917m spending review reinvestment to raise an additional £7bn each year by 2014-15.

Poor systems or lack of professional guidance lead some traders to inadvertently avoid their responsibilities to HM Revenue & Customs.

In the long run, this can prove costly, in my experience.

Landlords who own or rent out several properties and fail to declare rental income or tax on properties they have bought or sold are being targeted.

Tax fraud investigators are also scouring the accounts of construction traders who are self-employed or run their own company and who suppress sales or over-claim expenses.

For instance, builders may wrongly state their annual mileage for obtaining supplies, which can affect petrol VAT claims, or they may fail to complete proper bookkeeping for some cash-in-hand jobs.

And, HMRC has made it clear that it will come down hard on any businesses flouting the law whether through ignorance or otherwise.

As I and colleagues in my profession often say, ignorance is no defence in the eyes of the law.

Business owners need to show a good grasp of their tax affairs.

My advice in these circumstances is always if in doubt, check it out.

Taxation is a complex subject and business owners are often busy focusing on satisfying customers and suppliers to the extent that they can overlook their own tax affairs.

Specialist accountants can bring clarity to what can appear an overwhelming and confused situation.

HMRC has launched 12 task forces so far this year, putting the spotlight on different sectors and threatening heavy fines or criminal prosecution.

HMRC bosses have vowed more will follow in 2013.

Other targeted groups elsewhere in the UK are scrap metal dealers and fast food outlets, whose owners deliberately suppress their income or inflate expenditure to evade paying tax.

However, although they are coming down hard and fast on those who have chosen to break the rules and deliberately evade taxes they should be paying, they are quite clear that honest businesses have absolutely nothing to worry about.