Government's tax clawback is higher than ever, says Hartnett
HMRC clawing back most ever in tax, parliamentary committee told
THE TAXMAN is clawing back “more money than ever”, according to its permanent secretary for tax.
Dave Harnett (pictured) told the House of Lords Finance Bill Committee that HM Revenue & Customs’ approach of targeting certain professions had brought in “huge amounts” on unpaid tax, according to the Citywire website.
Hartnett said: “We used to talk to people one-to-one, now it’s one-to-hundreds even one-to-thousands. But we have seen success dealing with offshore bank accounts and particular professions, such as the medical profession, has brought in huge amounts.
“I do not have figures but accounts will show that we have brought in bigger amounts that we have ever achieved by some margin.”
HMRC has recently targeted plumbers by offering them lower penalty rates for disclosing unpaid tax; it is expected to offer similar amnesties for other trades. The Taxman has also set up special task forces to target the restaurant trade in London before rolling them out across the UK.
The government ringfenced £917m to tackle tax evasion, avoidance and fraud from 2011-12. HMRC is aiming to claw back £7bn each year by 2014-15.