HMRC has had to pay 88 percent more in legal costs to taxpayers in cases it lost in the year ended 31 March 2020.

The amount paid has increased from £1.3 million to £2.5 million in a year, law firm Pinsent Masons discovered via a Freedom of Information request.

This jump in court costs awarded suggests that HMRC is pursuing more disputes and more complex issues through the courts system, the law firm warned.

HMRC’s costs are from 43 cases found in favour of taxpayers last year, meaning HMRC paid out an average of £58,277 in costs per case.

In 2018/19, an average of £39,014 per case in costs was...