A month ago I wrote that HMRC's claimed 'compliance yield' was, to be polite, pretty much made up.
The National Audit Office put it more kindly in their report on HMRC's accounts:
We also consider that HMRC should have been more transparent in reporting its compliance yield and describing what it included. In past years it has not made it clear enough that only some of the yields are in-year revenue benefits, or that there are uncertainties in the data. Unlike other areas of its reporting, such as on the tax gap, HMRC has not produced sufficient detail describing its methodology and approach.
I think that comes to pretty much the same thing: they pretty much made it up.
And even so, they got it wrong.
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“Unlike other areas of its reporting, such as on the tax gap, HMRC has not produced sufficient detail describing its methodology and approach”
I’ve read this and your other two posts on this today. Doesn’t this statement suggest that your calcuation of the tax gap, which differs wildly from HMRC’s might be, well, wrong?
No
Saying they publish a methodology does not mean it is right
The IMF says HMRC are weak in this area
“The IMF says HMRC are weak in this area”
Did they?
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2013/cr13314.pdf
IMF actually say:
“The HMRC’s tax gap analysis program is comprehensive in tax coverage, effectively
addresses its multiple dimensions, and work is ongoing to enhance its support to
HMRC management. Tax gaps are estimated for most of the taxes administered by HMRC.
In this regard, HMRC produces one of the most comprehensive studies of tax gap estimates internationally.”
Go and read the detail
I have
They are bad at finding evasion is what the IMF say
I have read it. I can’t find anywhere where the IMF say HMRC are “bad at finding evasion” as you put it. Maybe you can enlighten us and give us the pages in the report I linked to above where they say this?
Read my report ‘In the Shade’ where I explain this
I have read your report. That wasn’t what I asked though.
I was asking where the IMF themselves say HMRC are “bad at finding evasion”, rather than places where you claim the IMF have said it.
From reading what the IMF have said about HMRC, they seem to rate HMRC fairly highly, despite some suggestions for improvement.
Then you have misread what the IMF say
All your commentary seems to depend in a wilful blind eye
That’s why you add nothing to debate
I’ve very thoroughly read the IMF report now. A couple of times. I don’t see heavy criticism of HMRC by the IMF and they rate most of HMRC’s processes “good”. I quote again:
“The HMRC’s tax gap analysis program is comprehensive in tax coverage, effectively addresses its multiple dimensions, and work is ongoing to enhance its support to HMRC management. Tax gaps are estimated for most of the taxes administered by HMRC. In this regard, HMRC produces one of the most comprehensive studies of tax gap estimates internationally.”
Why are you so obsessed with this that you are making claims which really have no basis in fact?
You regularly claim that your work on tax gaps is ground breaking. If it is, why haven’t the IMF taken it seriously enough to review it?
I point out exactly why I make my criticisms in my report and you still reiterate your points
I am bored with your time wasting
Please do not call again
Richard, after three days of these clowns, you’ve earned a good weekend to recharge. Not that I need to say it, nihil obstat illegitimi carborundum (don’t let the bastards wear you down).
Thanks Nick
After 400 miles on trains today as well I am taking time off at the weekend come hell or high water
Bird watching from Titchwell to Cley and then a night out with my wife is the plan
There may well be no blogging. Sometimes it can wait
Here’s an outrageous suggestion Richard: instead of insisting the IMF was critical of HMRC”s measure of the tax gap, why doesn’t the Courageous State show some courage and show exactly what that criticism is.
Because I am on a train with limited internet connection and little inclination to repeat what I have already comprehensively written which you can easily find
Candidly, astro-turfers don’t encourage my cooperation
You included