Managing tax compliance following the pandemic

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 28 Nov 2022 Closed: 21 Jul 2023 Parliament page
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic affected both the risks to tax compliance and the ability of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to carry out its compliance work. The need to prioritise direct responses to the pandemic (including new employment and self-employment support schemes) reduced HMRC’s overall capacity for tax … Read more
6 Recommendations
20 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
1 Letter
1 Event
Activity timeline 5 events
21 Jul
2023
Report published
3 May
2023
Report published
23 Feb
2023
Correspondence
26 Jan
2023
Oral evidence
26 Jan
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
26 Jan 2023
View on parliament.uk
Maintaining tax compliance following the pandemic
Alison Bexfield · HM Revenue and Customs Jim Harra CB · HM Revenue and Customs Penny Ciniewicz · HMRC
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Forty-Ninth Report - Managing tax compliance following the pande… HC 739 3 May 2023 26 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
9 results
Clear
7 Conclusion Rejected
Forty-Ninth Report - Managing tax …
Compliance yield per HMRC staff member declined significantly during pandemic years.
During the two pandemic years of 2020–21 and 2021–22, ‘compliance yield’ (the additional revenues protected as a result of HMRC’s interventions) per staff member fell from £1.3 million a year to £1.1 million (in 2021 prices).10 HMRC told us this … Read more
Government Response
The government disagrees with the committee's observation, stating that HMRC sets compliance yield targets to maintain a stable tax gap, deploys resources effectively, and that the tax compliance gap remained low during the pandemic years.
HM Treasury
View details
8 Conclusion Rejected
Forty-Ninth Report - Managing tax …
New HMRC compliance staff expected to take years to reach full productivity.
HMRC did not initially recruit at scale but has more recently recruited 4,800 new compliance staff, leading to 2,500 more FTE than in 2021–22. HMRC expects staff productivity to increase over the next few years, but told us that new … Read more
Government Response
The government explicitly disagrees with the committee's observation (interpreted as a recommendation), explaining that reduced yield during the pandemic was due to staff deployment to the Taxpayer Protection Taskforce. They assert that compliance performance should be viewed on a multi-year basis and that HMRC constantly assesses risks to deploy resources effectively.
HM Treasury
View details
12 Conclusion Rejected
Forty-Ninth Report - Managing tax …
Compliance yield is the primary measure of HMRC’s impact on revenue protection.
HMRC defines compliance yield as the additional revenue collected and protected that would have otherwise been lost to the Exchequer if not for HMRC’s interventions. It is the most direct measure of the impact of HMRC’s compliance work, and it … Read more
Government Response
The government disagrees with the recommendation, stating that HMRC sets compliance yield targets based on an agreed methodology with HM Treasury and the OBR, aimed at maintaining a stable tax gap and delivering revenues from fiscal event measures.
HM Treasury
View details
13 Conclusion Rejected
Forty-Ninth Report - Managing tax …
HMRC's compliance yield significantly declined post-pandemic, representing a £9 billion reduction.
In the five years before the pandemic, HMRC collected or protected an average of 5.2% of tax revenues through its compliance work. In 2020–21, total tax revenues fell as a result of the pandemic, but compliance yield fell slightly further, … Read more
Government Response
The government disagrees with the committee's observation, stating that HMRC sets compliance yield targets to maintain a stable tax gap, deploys resources effectively, and that the tax compliance gap remained low in the pandemic years in line with pre-pandemic levels.
HM Treasury
View details
14 Recommendation Rejected
Forty-Ninth Report - Managing tax …
HMRC unable to set clear compliance yield targets for pandemic recovery efforts.
We asked HMRC whether, to catch up on compliance yield lost during the pandemic, it should expect to generate higher levels of yield than before the pandemic over the next few years. HMRC acknowledged that this should happen over time … Read more
Government Response
The government explicitly rejects the recommendation to target higher compliance yield, explaining that HMRC sets targets based on an agreed methodology with the Treasury and OBR to maintain a stable tax gap. HMRC prioritizes compliance risks, ensuring identified risks can still be addressed.
HM Treasury
View details
23 Conclusion Rejected
Forty-Ninth Report - Managing tax …
HMRC funding aims to prevent growth of the tax gap, vital for public services.
HMRC is funded to stop the tax gap from growing. The tax gap is an important measure of how much revenue may be missed—due to evasion, avoidance or non-payment —that could otherwise fund vital public services.38 32 C&AG’s Report, para … Read more
Government Response
The government disagrees with the committee's observation, asserting that HMRC's funding is sufficient to maintain compliance performance and a stable tax gap, with investments already made to tackle serious tax fraud and compliance risks.
HM Treasury
View details
24 Conclusion Rejected
Forty-Ninth Report - Managing tax …
Current tax gap estimates do not fully reflect pandemic impact, showing high uncertainty.
Due to the way it is estimated, the tax gap does not yet reflect the full impact of the pandemic and will not do so for some time. HMRC’s latest estimate is that the tax gap remained stable in 2020–21, … Read more
Government Response
The government disagrees with the committee's observation, stating that HMRC's funding levels are adequate, with a track record of investment in compliance to generate revenue and maintain a stable tax gap, as shown in the 2023 Measuring Tax Gaps publication.
HM Treasury
View details
25 Recommendation Rejected
Forty-Ninth Report - Managing tax …
Weakened measures and insufficient compliance yield indicate the tax gap will likely grow.
Some measures that affect the tax gap have weakened since the start of the pandemic, indicating that the tax gap may grow in the coming years. Non-payment of taxes owed is one such component of the tax gap that HMRC … Read more
Government Response
The government rejects the committee's implication, asserting its commitment to ensure HMRC has sufficient funding to maintain compliance performance and tackle the tax gap. It highlights a £79 million investment in Autumn Statement 2022 for staff to combat tax fraud and risks among wealthy taxpayers, expected to generate £725 million in revenue.
HM Treasury
View details
26 Recommendation Rejected
Forty-Ninth Report - Managing tax …
HMRC faces resource challenges to maintain tax gap, as new staff require lengthy training.
We asked whether HMRC needed more resources to catch up on the impact of the pandemic and to keep the tax gap from growing, and whether it was looking to recruit more. HMRC acknowledged that it will be more challenging … Read more
Government Response
The government rejects the committee's suggestion regarding resource sufficiency, affirming its commitment to provide HMRC with adequate funding. It cites a £79 million investment from Autumn Statement 2022 to hire staff targeting serious tax fraud and wealthy taxpayers, emphasizing its strategic approach to deploying resources.
HM Treasury
View details
Government Response AI assessment · 26 of 6 classified
Accepted 14
Not Addressed 3
Rejected 9
Total 6 recs + 20 conclusions
Correspondence 1 letter
23 Feb 2023 Joint correspondence from Jim Harra, Chief Executive and First Permanent Secretary, HM Revenue & Customs, re update on Managing Tax Compliance HMRC, dated 9 February 2023
Parliament page