New regulations, which come into force on 1 March, effectively mean that individuals could be reported to the National Criminal Intelligence Service if they make a small mistake on their tax or VAT returns.

The new law requires accountants, tax advisers, banks, estate agents, and insolvency practitioners, to inform the authorities if they even suspect criminal activity. These professional advisers face a five-year jail term if they fail to do this.

They are also not permitted to directly or indirectly 'tip off' clients if they make a report - if they do, they again could face five years in prison. This overturns the tenet of client confidentiality, prevents trusted professional advisers from discussing potential errors with clients, and effectively forces them to lie to their clients to conceal any report made to NCIS.

There is no minimum amount - suspicion that a client has deliberately overstated an expenses claim by £10 would, under the new law, require a report to NCIS.

Although these regulations are aimed at starving terrorists and organised criminal gangs of funds, and most reasonable-minded people would support this, it is absurd that there is no minimum reportable amount and this fact would indicate to me that this is another example of using terrorism as an excuse for whittling away at our freedom.

In short, these rules are more suitable for a totalitarian regime than a mature democracy.

Fundamental terrorists are winning their war by eroding the freedoms of the people they loathe in western democracies.