Revenue slammed over uncollected taxes
The Inland Revenue has been accused of 'incompetence' by the Liberal Democrats for failing to keep detailed information on £14bn of uncollected taxes.
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Lord McIntosh of Haringey, Treasury spokesman in the Lords, last week revealed that there was no breakdown of longstanding debts owed to the Revenue, The Times reported.
Lord Oakeshott, Lib Dem Treasury spokesman, accused the Revenue of ‘gross incompetence’.
‘The first lesson you learn in business is to know who owes you money and how long the debt has been outstanding,’ he said. ‘How can the government justify not having this information?’
The shortfall, revealed by the National Audit Office in March, includes £3bn that has been owed for more than a year.