Since the beginning of 2010, HMRC' has been targeting high risk sectors where significant underpayment of tax may be taking place. During 2011, 12 such taskforces are planned, alongside previous initiatives targeting medical professionals and plubmers/gas fitters. This table monitors their progress.
HMRC said the task force initiative is part of the government's £917m spending review investment to tackle tax evasion, avoidance and fraud from 2011/12. Its target is to raise an additional £7bn each year by 2014/15.
Each specialist team will undertake an intensive burst of compliance activity to uncover businesses owing tax. Twelve task forces were launched in 2011/12, with 30 scheduled in 2012/13
Paul Kennard, SME business unit head for HMRC in Scotland and Northern Ireland, commented: “Honest businesses have absolutely nothing to worry about. Only those who choose to break the rules, or deliberately evade the tax they should be paying, will be targeted."
Target/industry
|
Date
|
Areas
|
Checks
|
Unpaid/ prosecs
|
Tax gain
|
Medical professionals |
Jan-Jun '10 |
All |
4,000 |
1.5k/?? |
£13.1m |
Plumbers |
Mar '10-Aug '11 |
All |
1,000 |
600/14 |
£4.57m |
VAT non-registered |
May-Dec '11 |
SE |
40,000 |
851/?? |
£9m+ |
Restaurant owners |
May '11 |
London, NW, Scotland |
531 |
45/29 |
£634,050
(£13.5m expected)
|
etraders |
Jun '11 - Mar '12 |
All |
32,000 |
|
|
Fast food outlets |
Jul '11 |
London |
85 |
85/?? |
£10m (£18m expected) |
Tutors and coaches |
Oct '11-Mar '12 |
All |
|
|
|
Second home owners |
Nov '11 |
London |
|
|
|
Scrap metal dealers |
Nov '11 |
Scotland |
|
|
£3m expected |
Fast food outlets |
Nov '11 |
Scotland |
|
|
£6m expected |
Self-employed builders & construction traders |
Nov '11 |
NW & N Wales |
|
|
£3m expected |
Fraudulent repayments |
Nov '11 |
London |
|
??/3 |
£4.5m expected |
Landlords |
Nov '11 |
NW & N Wales |
|
??/3 |
|
Missing returns |
Nov '11 |
SE |
|
|
|
Property transactions |
Dec '11 |
Greater London |
|
|
|
Electricians |
Feb '12 |
All |
|
|
£7m expected |
Construction and building
|
Feb '12 |
|
|
|
|
Direct selling
|
Feb '12 |
|
|
|
|
Home improvement |
2012? |
|
|
|
|
Rag trade |
2012-3 |
|
|
|
|
Indoor & outdoor markets |
May '12 |
London |
|
|
£1.85m expected |
Restaurant owners |
May '12 |
Midlands |
|
|
£2.5m expected |
Property rentals |
May '12 |
London, East Anglia, Midlands,NE |
|
|
£17m expected |
Taxi firms |
May '12 |
Yorks & E Midlands |
|
|
£2m expected |
Motor trade |
Jul '12 |
Yorks, Notts, NE |
|
|
£22m expected |
Pubs & nightclubs |
Jul '12 |
Scotland |
|
|
£5m expected |
Hair & beauty businesses |
Jul '12 |
N Ireland |
|
|
£2.5m expected |
Restaurants |
Jul '12 |
SW, S Wales |
|
|
£5m expected |
Tax return initiative |
Jul-Oct '12 |
All |
|
|
£2.5m expected |
Totals |
|
|
77,616 |
3081/49 |
£37.7m collected
£154m expected
|
Note: Before the latest campaigns were launched in 2011-12, HMRC operated the Offshore Disclosure Facility between April and November 2007, followed by the New Disclosure Facility for individuals with unpaid tax linked to offshore accounts and assets. According to HMRC, the ODF brought in £400m and the NDO raised £85m from 5,000 disclosures. When added in, these figures add up to more than £500m, justifying the department's headline claims. On closer analysis the yields are diminishing, from the averages of £17,000 achieved from NDO participants and £190,000 from London fast food franchises and £14,000+ from restaurants to £8,700 or so for medical professionals and £7,600 for plumbers. Further information and updates on these campaigns are available from HMRC's Campaigns page.