Selling on eBay? Beware of the Tax Collector

The Revenue is putting a big push to find those that sell from the car boot and on eBay to gently, or not so gently, persuade them to pay the taxes they owe from these sales avenues.

According to the insurer Prudential, about £1.5 billion exchanged hands just at car-boot sales. We you add the selling activities of the 50,000 registered Britons on top of that, the sales volume is substantial.

A recent Timesonline article stated, "Millions of people are involved in the informal economy, making a "bit on the side" to subsidise their income — and if you are one of them the Revenue has you in its sights. You could face hefty penalties and interest charges, as well as a bill for unpaid tax."

Apparently, these investigatory techniques have Revenue investigators working more like private detectives rather than civil servants. They are actively on the hunt for people that may simply not be aware of the regulations or who have had a hobby turn into a business.

When it comes to ferreting out innocent citizens that are trading on eBay, Revenue investigators are using the feedback ratings to track back sales to catch you.