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 and suggested that no tax should go uncollected as a result of the pandemic because it can go back up to 20 years with its compliance enquiries. However, it told us that other risks of non-compliance may take priority. There are also timing issues between when taxes are owed and when HMRC records compliance yield, meaning the full impact of the pandemic will not be known for several years.23 HMRC would therefore not be drawn on what levels of compliance yield it should target in the coming years, either as a percentage of total revenues or in cash terms, beyond aiming for £36 billion in the current year. It told us this was due to uncertainty in the economy and inflationary pressures.24 18 Treasury Minutes, Government responses on the Thirty Fourth to the Thirty Sixth; the Thirty Eighth; and the Fortieth to the Forty Second reports from the Committee of Public Accounts: Session 2015–16, Cm 9323, July 2016 19 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-datalab 20 C&AG’s Report, para 2.2–2.3 21 Qq 35, 85; C&AG’s Report, para 11–12 22 Qq 35, 45–46, 85 23 Qq 85–86, 88; C&AG’s Report, para 2.8–2.9 24 Qq 89–95 Managing tax compliance following the pandemic 11 2 Understanding how to catch up following the pandemic Supporting taxpayers who want to pay their taxes correctly