Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Oral Answers to Questions

David Hanson Excerpts
Tuesday 6th November 2018

(5 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Mel Stride Portrait Mel Stride
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I cannot comment on a specific taxpayer, but I can say that HMRC does publish quarterly the names of those who deliberately default on taxation, as a method of bringing them forward to settle with HMRC. We have brought in a further 21 measures in the Budget to raise a further £2 billion by 2023-24 by clamping down on avoidance and evasion.

David Hanson Portrait David Hanson (Delyn) (Lab)
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How does a £200 million cut, announced in the Red Book, help with HMRC’s collection of taxes?

Mel Stride Portrait Mel Stride
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HMRC has had an additional investment since 2010 of £2 billion. It has 28,000 full-time equivalent staff engaged in the mission of tax inspection and clamping down on avoidance and evasion. We have one of the lowest tax gaps in the entire world, at 5.7%. That is far lower than was the case under the previous Labour Government. In fact, if we were stuck with the poor levels of tax collection under the Labour party, we would lose revenues equivalent to employing every policeman and policewoman in England and Wales.