Ok as someone who should know what he is talking about, Tax Avoidance = Tax Evasion. They are illegal and if you are caught there are huge penalties. Secondly most accountants will only give advice to there clients if the client takes responsibility if it is proven to be wrong. So to clarify, Tax Avoidance/Evasion ≠ Tax Minimisation. As tax payers we are all obliged to minimise our tax to the best we can. If you over step the line though it becomes Tax Avoidance/Evasion and they attract large penalties.