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HMRC defends ‘most wanted’ tax fugitive list

Your Money
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Your Money
Posted:
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12/08/2013

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has defended the publication of a tax evaders ‘most wanted’ list amid criticism from Labour.

Last week HMRC published the name and photographs of people it said had cost the taxpayer millions in lost revenue.

The BBC reports only one in 20 people named had been caught, a statistic Labour said proved the project had been a “huge failure”.

However, HMRC said it was a simple way of getting fresh leads on the whereabouts of those listed.

HMRC director of criminal investigation said the gallery was a cost-effective way of bringing in valuable information about the suspects, adding bringing them to justice was a “long process” .

HMRC has added ten more faces to the gallery.

Shadow Treasury minister Catherine McKinnell said it was a “huge failure” that one year on, so many on the most-wanted list had still not been caught.

“At a time when families are facing a cost-of-living crisis, it’s even more important that everyone pays their fair share of tax. The government needs to do better,” she said.

However, Economic secretary Sajid Javid told the BBC that was an “unfair assessment”.


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