Banks, financial services companies and insurers have a far greater risk of ending up in court over tax disputes than other sectors, according to a survey that underlines the tensions between the government and its biggest taxpayers.

A third of high-profile cases pursued by Revenue & Customs over the past three years involved these sectors, according to Lovells, the law firm. The reasons these sectors are in the frontline include a reputation for aggressive planning and their exposure to the complexities of value-added tax.