Tax Avoidance

(asked on 1st June 2018) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to measure the effect of the introduction of the 2019 loan charge on people affected by the charge.


Answered by
Mel Stride Portrait
Mel Stride
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
This question was answered on 11th June 2018

The 2019 loan charge is targeted at artificial tax avoidance schemes where earnings are paid in the form of non-repayable loans made by a third party - “disguised remuneration” (DR) schemes.

DR schemes are clear examples of contrived tax avoidance. It is not normal, or indeed reasonable, to be paid in loans that are unlikely ever to be repaid. It is an individual’s responsibility to ensure they pay the right amount of tax and to understand the consequences of engaging in tax avoidance.

It is unfair to ordinary taxpayers to let anybody benefit from contrived tax avoidance of this sort, and that is why this Government has taken action to ensure that everybody pays the taxes they owe. The announcement of the loan charge at Budget 2016 provided scheme users with a three-year period to repay their DR loans, or to agree a settlement with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) before the charge takes effect.

50,000 individuals are estimated to be affected by the introduction of the DR loan charge across the UK. It is estimated that less than 0.1% of the population of Wales will be affected. Information is not held at constituency level.

The impact of the DR loan charge on these individuals was considered at Budget 2016, when the measure was first announced. ­HMRC consulted on the measure in August 2016. The latest tax information and impact note (TIIN) can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disguised-remuneration-further-update/disguised-remuneration-further-update

Reticulating Splines