Sole trader employing spouse

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I have an income of c10K as a sole trader, alongside my employment (40% bracket).
I could justify paying my spouse maybe £50 per week for work she does to facilitate that secondary income - she is otherwise non-earning.
I am told by a colleague that HMRC have lost a test case, meaning that spousal payment cannot be scrutinised and that in fact she could be paid the entire £10K - presumably she would have to be my employee.
Is this information correct? Putting aside any moral arguments, I am sceptical that this is allowable.
Thanks
I could justify paying my spouse maybe £50 per week for work she does to facilitate that secondary income - she is otherwise non-earning.
I am told by a colleague that HMRC have lost a test case, meaning that spousal payment cannot be scrutinised and that in fact she could be paid the entire £10K - presumably she would have to be my employee.
Is this information correct? Putting aside any moral arguments, I am sceptical that this is allowable.
Thanks
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Of course HMRC can scrutinise any salary you pay her - and if you are a sole trader, rather than employing her through your own limited company, it is highly likely they will. She would certainly have to be an employee and you could be called upon to demonstrate what exactly she does to earn her £10K, or whatever you pay her.
One reason for the difference in treatment is that in a partnership, the profit returned to HMRC isn’t reduced by the way in which the partners allocate it, but in a case of paying a spouse an inflated salary the effect is to return lower profits for the business than is really the case, so the profits are understated.