Section 94, Finance Act 2009 came into force on 1 April 2010. It bestowed on HMRC a power to publish details of individuals who are described as "deliberate tax defaulters". These are individuals who
Section 94, Finance Act 2009 came into force on 1 April 2010. It bestowed on HMRC a power to publish details of individuals who are described as "deliberate tax defaulters". These are individuals who have received penalties either for deliberate errors in their tax returns or deliberately failing to comply with their tax obligations and the potential lost tax revenue in relation to the penalty exceeds £25,000.
HMRC is empowered to publish the individual's name, address, and any other information that HMRC considers it appropriate in order to make clear that person's identity.
Until today, HMRC has resisted making use of this power. Presumably pour encourager les autres, and possibly influenced by the urgings of the Public Accounts Committee, it has today published the first list. There are 9 individuals who have been "named and shamed", many of whom just scraped over the £25,000 threshold. Accordingly, whether this power, in time, will become an important weapon in HMRC's arsenal that is used to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of tax, remains to be seen.
Section 94, Finance Act 2009 came into force on 1 April 2010. It bestowed on HMRC a power to publish details of individuals who are described as "deliberate tax defaulters". These are individuals who have received penalties either for deliberate errors in their tax returns or deliberately failing to comply with their tax obligations and the potential lost tax revenue in relation to the penalty exceeds £25,000.
HMRC is empowered to publish the individual's name, address, and any other information that HMRC considers it appropriate in order to make clear that person's identity.
Until today, HMRC has resisted making use of this power. Presumably pour encourager les autres, and possibly influenced by the urgings of the Public Accounts Committee, it has today published the first list. There are 9 individuals who have been "named and shamed", many of whom just scraped over the £25,000 threshold. Accordingly, whether this power, in time, will become an important weapon in HMRC's arsenal that is used to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of tax, remains to be seen.