HMRC prepares criminal tax ‘hit squad’
Senior tax investigators to take on criminal gangs
A new tax investigation unit, the Criminal Taxes Unit, will be launched by HM
Revenue & Customs by the end of the summer to track down suspected criminals
and strip them of their wealth, the government announced.
The unit will be made up of a squad of senior tax investigators who will
target fraudsters who have escaped prosecution by the police.
It will work alongside the police, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the
Assets Recovery Agency and will aim to disrupt criminal activity by imposing tax
charges and in cases of serious crime ‘will instigate and advise upon criminal
prosecution opportunities using tax evasion and cheat charges’.
HMRC chairman Sir David Varney said it would use every method of taxing and
penalising suspected criminals, taking away their profits made from crime.
‘The new Criminal Taxes Unit will aim to ensure that suspected criminals who
have gained from their criminal activity are made to pay their fair share of
tax,’ he added.