The number of serious tax evasion cases identified by HMRC has jumped 18% in the past year to 3,809, up from 3,216 in 2016-17, according to figures obtained by Pinsent Masons.

The law firm suggests the increase has been driven by information HMRC has received about UK residents with offshore bank accounts under the common reporting standard (CRS). The first information exchanges by early adopter countries happened in September 2017. However, HMRC had been receiving …