I can only presume that Lin Homer, new boss of HMRC, thinks we all have remarkably short memories.
She told the Treasury Select Committee this week that:
Investigations into the tax affairs of multinational businesses have brought approximately £4.7bn into the public purse over the last five years, MPs heard.
HM Revenue & Customs chief executive Lin Homer said the department performs "reasonably well" by international standards as she defended its record on dealing with tax avoidance, particularly by big corporations.
Respectfully that's a lousy performance. Last December the Public Accounts Committee revealed there was £25.5 billion in dispute with such companies at that time. And just £4.7 billion was recovered in five years for which she wants applause?
Sorry, that deserves a sending to the back of a class and a demand to "do better".
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Hi Richard,
Even you must admit that not all of the £25bn in dispute will be due as sometimes the taxman will have got something wrong. I’m sure you’ve had disputes with the Inland Revenue when you were in practice. What proportion of that £25bn does your research show would actually become due?
A lot more than £1 billion – which is what is happening