We are concerned about how taxpayers are protected from those who promote avoidance schemes, and the financial damage that can follow if taxpayers unknowingly enter unlawful schemes. We therefore asked HMRC what progress it had made in pursuing the promoters of illegal schemes. It told us its strategy for tackling tax avoidance was two-pronged. It wants to reduce both the supply of schemes from tax advisers and the demand for them from taxpayers. HMRC considers it has been successful in driving the respectable end of the tax profession out of offering tax avoidance. It said what remains is a core of about 20 or 30 promoters many of whom are based offshore and hide behind complex corporate structures. HMRC told us that it had extensive powers for tackling promoters, and the government has recently announced further powers to enable HMRC to act more quickly against providers. It said it was using its full range of powers, from criminal investigation and prosecution through to using insolvency law and the Advertising Standards Authority to try and drive promoters out of the market. It also said that the location of promoters offshore did not deter it from bearing down on them.41