How you could get PAID by the taxman as HMRC dishes out £500k in rewards
BRITS could get paid by the taxman after HMRC has dished out more than £500,000 in rewards.
The government has paid people who have provided evidence about tax fraud over the last year.
HMRC paid £509,000 to individuals, up from £495,000 in 2021 – 2022, according to research by international law firm RPC.
This is up 7.5% from the £290,000 paid five years ago.
Tax fraud can be reported online through the government’s website or by phoning the tax fraud hotline 0800 788 887 and some people could qualify for a financial reward.
You do not have to give your name or contact details unless you want to and any information will be kept confidential.
HMRC will then weigh up what to do next and will make a decision on whether to pay the person who reported it.
The amount people could get will depend on a range of factors including whether the tax was recovered, how much revenue loss was presented and how much time it saved HMRC.
The Sun asked HMRC for more information on payment amounts and how and when they will be made but it would not comment.
An HMRC spokesperson said: “There will be times when it is appropriate for us to make payments to individuals for providing us with information that helps us tackle avoidance and evasion.
“We make these at our own discretion, based on what is achieved as a direct result.
“We value the information we receive from the public and business community.
“We urge anyone with information about tax fraud to report it to us online by going to GOV.UK and searching ‘report fraud HMRC’.”
Though Adam Craggs, partner and head of RPC’s tax, financial crime and regulatory tea, said the payments are small given the size of the UK tax gap.
“More individuals, with evidence of serious tax fraud, would come forward if they knew they could be in line for a life-changing amount of money.
“HMRC has been making payments for information on an ad hoc basis for many years and would benefit from improving the system and placing it on a more formal basis.”
What is considered tax fraud?
Tax fraud is like tax evasion – this is where someone avoids paying the government.
Someone who commits tax fraud will have deliberately av
Tax afraid, according to HMRC, includes:
- deliberately submitting false tax returns
- falsely claiming repayments or tax reliefs
- hiding income, gains or wealth offshore
- smuggling taxable goods
If someone is found guilty of committing tax afraid the could face financial penalties or even cominical conviction and imprisonment.
If you are being investigated by HMRC for potential tax fraud, it will notify you via letter.
You cannot appeal against an investigation.
How do I report tax fraud?
If you have any information about tax fraud you can report it online via the government website.
You can also call the fraud hotline on 0800 788 887.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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