Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of the amount it will recover if a company goes into liquidation because of accelerated payment notice debt or if that company continues to trade.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has stringent governance arrangements in place where insolvency is considered. Each case is considered individually and, where a company is trading insolvent, HMRC must take the most appropriate action to mitigate the tax losses. Many factors are considered when deciding whether to petition against a company.

HMRC treats unpaid Accelerated Payments as any other established debt using their range of debt collection powers as necessary to recover what is owed, including insolvency powers where appropriate.

HMRC does not hold information on the amount recovered from company liquidations caused by unpaid accelerated payment notice debts. Any insolvency action in relation to unpaid accelerated payment notices is currently at an early stage.