HMRC reports £36 billion tax gap: another missed opportunity for Government due to lack of investment, says HMRC union

24 Oct 2016 12:44 PM

Responding to HMRC's publication of its latest estimated tax gap for 2014-15 of 6.5% of tax due - equating to £36 billion - the Association of Revenue and Customs (ARC) President Vicky Johnson said:

"ARC has been consistently stating for many years now that a perfect storm is being created within HMRC, due to a lack of sufficient investment coupled with a significant and rising pay disparity between senior HMRC managers and professionals and their private sector counterparts.

"By letting ARC's warnings go unheeded, the Government has missed yet another opportunity to help close the tax gap."

Notes for editors

  1. The Association of Revenue and Customs (ARC) is a union representing senior staff in HM Revenue and Customs, including tax inspectors, accountants, lawyers, managers and other leading professionals. ARC represents members in HMRC at grade 7 and above, and also trainees in grade 7 entry schemes. It is also a section of the FDA.
  2. The FDA is the trade union and professional body representing 18,000 of the UK's senior civil and public servants. Our members include policy advisors, senior managers, tax inspectors, economists, statisticians, accountants, special advisers, government lawyers, diplomats, crown prosecutors and NHS managers.
  3. The FDA (formerly the First Division Association) should be referred to simply as "The FDA" and can be described as "the senior public servants' union".

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