| HM Revenue & Customs
(HMRC) has launched five new taskforces
around the country to tackle tax evasion
in sectors including fast food, property
rentals and scrap metal dealing.
Announcing the taskforces on 7 November,
Exchequer Secretary David Gauke
said honest businesses had nothing to
worry about but warned: “We will not
tolerate those who break the rules.
“It doesn’t matter who you are – HMRC
can and will track you down. You will face
a heavy fine, a possible criminal
prosecution and ultimately jail.
“Taskforces are a direct result of the
government’s £917 million spending review
re-investment to tackle tax evasion,
avoidance and fraud, which aims to raise
an additional £7 billion each year by
2014/15.”
The five taskforces will target:
- scrap metal dealers in Scotland,
focusing on those who are deliberately
suppressing their income or inflating
expenditure to evade paying tax
- construction traders who are
self-employed or run their own company
who suppress sales or over-claim
expenses in the North West and North
Wales
- taxpayers not submitting their
statutory returns for corporation tax,
income tax self assessment, PAYE and VAT
in the South East
- fast food outlets deliberately
falsifying their records and mis-declaring
their true sales levels to avoid paying
the correct taxes in Scotland
- landlords – owning or renting three
or more properties – evading their tax
responsibilities in North West and North
Wales.
LINKS:
Fighting fraud and tax evasion
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