We asked HMRC whether it could assure Parliament and the public that it had operated fairly and consistently in two, large, well-publicised tax dispute cases (with General Electric and Glencore). It said that the duty to protect taxpayer confidentiality is at the heart of its charter and so could not discuss either of those cases. HMRC emphasised that this duty extends to all taxpayers and that, even where information is in the public domain, it cannot comment on individual cases.32