Limited.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigators found that between June 2007 and March 2010 they received income tax repayments amounting to £5 million. The two claimed that this was the refund due on £20 million of contributions that pension scheme members had made. The investigators found these contributions did not exist.
Simon De Kayne, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation for HMRC, said:
“This was blatant theft from the UK economy by people who exploited their positions of trust and authority. This prosecution reinforces our effectiveness in the crackdown to uncover and bring before the courts those involved in tax evasion and fraud.” They were arrested in 2010 in dawn raids carried out by HMRC officers investigating the multi-million pound fraud. The raids took place at residential and business premises in the West Midlands and Derby. In addition, a trustee of the pension fund, Steven Price, pleaded guilty to obtaining documents by deception, and was given an 18 month prison sentence – suspended for two years.
Confiscation proceedings to reclaim the crime profits are now underway. Further details on the case can be found here.
HMRC CONSULTATION - SUPPORTING CUSTOMERS WHO EXTRA HELP
14 March 2013
HMRC have launched a consultation which seeks views on its proposals to provide a new flexible support service for the 1.5 million customers who need extra help with their tax affairs. The consultation Supporting customers who need extra help - a new approach will run from 14 March until 24 May 2013 and looks to gather feedback from people and organisations who are interested in the changes, which are being proposed following earlier in-depth research carried out by HMRC to gain a better understanding of customers who need extra help in getting their tax affairs right. The new service will look to provide mobile, one-to-one support in a range of convenient locations, including a person’s own home or business. It will also provide expert advisors on the phone, trained to deal with people who need extra support, to help a caller until the issue is resolved. HMRC will also make more funding and support available for voluntary sector organisations to help them to deal with customers who turn to them for help .
A five month pilot aimed at testing these new services will run in the North East of England from 3 June 2013 to 31 October 2013.
The following enquiry centres that will be closed in the pilot are Alnwick, Bishop Auckland, Bridlington, Hexham, Darlington, Durham, Middlesbrough, Morpeth, Newcastle, Scarborough, Stockton, Sunderland and York.
Anyone with an interest is free to submit their views during this consultation however HMRC are particularly keen to hear from:
any voluntary and community sector organisations that represent people who need help to get their tax and entitlements right a wider set of voluntary and community sector organisations that represent customers who need extra help; for instance, organisations helping people with mental health
CIPP Policy News Journal
12/04/2013, Page 112 of 362
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