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HMRC’s clampdown on tax dodging marked a new high during 2013/14, official statistics show.
An parallelled £23.9bn – raised in addition to revenue collected from compliant taxpayers – was £3.2bn more than in the previous 12 months, and almost £1bn above the target set at last year’s autumn statement.
HMRC’s clampdown on tax dodging marked a new high during 2013/14, official statistics show.
An parallelled £23.9bn – raised in addition to revenue collected from compliant taxpayers – was £3.2bn more than in the previous 12 months, and almost £1bn above the target set at last year’s autumn statement.
Around £1bn of the total was the result of criminal prosecutions, while £2.7bn came from successful court cases against avoidance schemes. Large businesses were compelled to pay more than £8bn, with the remaining tax of about £12bn following tribunal wins and the closure of loopholes in the corporation tax and stamp duty land tax regimes.
Exchequer secretary to the Treasury David Gauke claimed the record-breaking figure was a “clear signal [that] HMRC will pursue those seeking to avoid their responsibilities and will collect the taxes that are due.”
The taxman this week published an overview of its past and future compliance activities – which could expand overseas from next month, after banks in Switzerland pledged to provide details of the ten most popular destinations of money removed from suspect accounts held in the alpine state by UK nationals.
International law firm Pinsent Masons predicts that tax officials will use the new “hit list”, released as part of the UK/Swiss accord, to “plan, with pinpoint accuracy, their next moves against UK taxpayers who are evading tax due on money they have sent to overseas tax havens”.
