{"id":20199,"date":"2013-04-22T09:22:01","date_gmt":"2013-04-22T08:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/?p=20199"},"modified":"2013-04-22T09:22:01","modified_gmt":"2013-04-22T08:22:01","slug":"hmrc-should-be-run-by-people-who-are-committed-to-the-social-value-of-tax-not-by-people-who-believe-it-is-best-avoided","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/2013\/04\/22\/hmrc-should-be-run-by-people-who-are-committed-to-the-social-value-of-tax-not-by-people-who-believe-it-is-best-avoided\/","title":{"rendered":"HMRC should be run by people who are committed to the social value of tax, not by people who believe it is best avoided"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week I discussed nPower's tax. Of course its affairs are all legal, but I\u00a0made\u00a0the suggestion<\/a> that it seems its UK operations are structured to make sure no tax is paid in this country. Now the Guardian reports:<\/p>\n

Controversy around Britain's\u00a0energy industry\u00a0will intensify on Monday amid revelations that the former head of a low-tax-paying power provider has been hired to help oversee HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), and a warning that a new price regime demanded by the regulator, Ofgem, could still mean consumers paying \u00a355m more a year than they should.<\/p>\n

RWE npower was at the centre of a storm last week after admitting it had paid \u00a32m, \u00a33m and nothing in tax in the years 2009-2011, but now it transpires that Volker Beckers, its former boss, has been appointed as a non-executive director at the HMRC.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He's in good company, with former KPMG and PWC partners who have no doubt seen their incomes boosted over the years by the sale of tax avoidance\u00a0by\u00a0the ir\u00a0firms.<\/p>\n

I have made the point before, and I will make it again, that this is no way to organise a tax authority.\u00a0H M Revenue & Customs should be run by people who are committed to the social value of tax, not by people who believe it is best avoided.<\/p>\n

There's more on this in 'Over here and under-taxed<\/a>'.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week I discussed nPower’s tax. Of course its affairs are all legal, but I\u00a0made\u00a0the suggestion that it seems its UK operations are structured to
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