Same cowboys, new name: ZLX is now TaxTek R&D

ZLX is the R&D tax the firm notorious for suing a client who wasn't willing to put in a comical R&D tax claim for installing a fridge. They've changed their name to TaxTek - but the game is the same: pretending to be tax specialists when actually hiring a large sales team and "technical specialists" with no qualifications or experience.

We would advise against anyone hiring TaxTek (not to be confused with TaxTek Cambridge, a longstanding reputable adviser). Even someone certain they have a genuine R&D tax claim should steer clear, not least because of the degree of HMRC scrutiny that any association with ZLX is likely to attract.

When a scandal hits a firm of tax advisers, it’s common for those involved to quietly start again under a new name. We’re launching an occasional series - "Same cowboys, new name" - to expose these rebrands.

Our new report on the TaxTek rebrand is here, jointly written with Paul Rosser.

If you missed our original reports, you can hear the ZLX story in Untaxing, on BBC Sounds. Or you can read our full investigation into ZLX here.