SVM120050 | Case Selection, Handling and Settlement: Governance

Governance arrangements apply to all cases awaiting settlement after negotiations have taken place. Governance is not required on cases closed on 1st or 2nd tier risk assessment.

Valuers must obtain authorisation on negotiated cases before making any offer of value or accepting an offer from the taxpayer. The amount of tax at stake as a result of the proposed settlement, or the circumstances of the case, dictates the level at which the authorisation takes place. The majority of authorisations will be carried out by peers within the valuer’s team or by the valuer’s manager. Managers/peers cannot sign-off any case in which they have had a material role – that is to say a case where they have played a leading role in driving the case forward that falls outside the normal manager/developer input generally expected.

Valuers should always be accompanied to meetings. If the valuer is to be accompanied by their manager, and that manager has already played a material role in the case, then the manager’s peer will need to authorise the proposed agreement.

Additional Guidance: SVM150000