Crackdown on tax cheats nets £109m in just six months

16 Oct 2015 02:06 PM

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) taskforces recently revealed they have brought in £109 million in the last six months.

That figure includes £64.9 million recovered in the first three months of this year, more than double the figure for the same period in 2014.

Between April and October 2015, HMRC launched 27 new taskforces targeting sectors that are at the highest risk of tax fraud, including Income Tax Self Assessment (ITSA) Repayments, Retail, Hidden Wealth and Grocery sectors, with one taskforce alone generating 22 arrests.

Taskforces were first launched in spring 2011 as part of HMRC’s compliance strategy to tackle tax evasion and fraud. Over 100 taskforces have been launched since then yielding more than £404 million, protecting this money for public services.

Speaking at the UK Tax Investigation Conference recently, Jennie Granger, Director General for Enforcement and Compliance at HMRC, said:

“The message is clear if you try to cheat on your tax we are going to catch you – it’s only fair that we all pay what we should to fund public services. We have increasing amounts of intelligence, and are using state of the art digital tools to help us to identify and target high risk areas. This yield of £109 million – almost double the figure for the same period in 2014 - shows that our strategy is working.”

Notes for editors1. Taskforces bring together various HMRC compliance and enforcement teams for intensive bursts of activity targeted at specific sectors and locations where there is evidence of high risk of tax evasion and fraud. The teams visit traders to examine their records and carry out other investigations.2. HMRC’s Flickr channel www.flickr.com/hmrcgovuk3. Follow HMRC’s Press Office on Twitter @HMRCpressoffice