‘Britain’s tax authorities are accused by Parliament today of not being “on the side” of individuals and small firms who pay their fair share of money to the Government.
In a highly critical report, Westminster’s spending watchdog claims officials are “holding back” from using legal sanctions to recover money from large companies which use aggressive schemes to minimise their tax bills.
As a result the public at large is being forced to shoulder more of the burden of paying for public services while it has become “easier” for companies to avoid paying their way. The Public Accounts Committee said that despite countless pledges to crack down on tax avoidance, HMRC actually collected less tax in real terms last year than it did in 2011-12. At the same time the “tax gap” between what HMRC estimated it was owed last year and what it actually collected rose by £1bn to £35bn.’
Read more: Take from the poor, but not the rich: Tax authorities accused of 'siding' with big business over small firms and individuals
