HMRC windfall from crackdown on wealthy

Homing in on tax avoidance and evasion by the “mass affluent” was successful.
A Government crackdown on tax evasion and avoidance by the wealthy raised 60% more money in 2014.
HMRC’s Affluent Unit, which covers 500,000 UK residents on annual incomes over £150,000 or who have wealth of over £1 million, raised £137.2 million in tax. That’s up from £85.7 million in 2013, according to law firm Pinsent Masons
The Affluent Unit was set up in 2011 and doubled in size last year to cope with an increased workload.
The taxman uses its Connect computer system to investigate potential tax criminals by collecting their data from multiple sources including banks, local councils and social media.
Further to go
However, statistics from Tax Research show that there is a tax gap of £35 billion between what is collected and what is owed, with at least a quarter coming from the top 1% of earners. To help close the gap, the Government’s tax-collecting target for the end of this year is a significantly larger £586 million.
As announced in Budget 2014, HMRC will soon have the power to recover tax and tax credit debts directly from the bank and building society accounts, including ISAs, of debtors. However, tax inspectors need have a face-to-face meeting with taxpayers before funds can be recovered.
The Direct Recovery of Debt (DRD) plans will be introduced later this year. For more read Plans for HMRC bank account raids revised.
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I am all for the HMRC collecting from tax evaders but what about those who have worked all their lives (and probably continue to do so) and have saved for their retirement only to then be thought to have not paid their taxes. I have reason to believe that the banks send information on about anyone who has a reasonable amount of money in their accounts to HMRC or the Government ( and you don't have to be anywhere near being a millionaire for this to happen). Such people (who will be termed wealthy pensioners) will also be targeted to lose such things as cold weather payments and to pay for their keep in care homes even though they have paid taxes all their working lives (40 plus years) whilst those who have contributed nothing will get it all for free....but after the General Election of course. David Cameron has said that he will guarantee that pensioners don't lose out after the General Election. Watch out for a U-turn....but then all parties are the same - generally not trustworthy.
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Start at the top by that I mean the royals. End the extensive civil list as it called, and then Tax all of that lot properly, put then under the same thumb the rest of us are forced to live under. End all their ( free to them ) benefits in kind like endless first class trips rounds the world for them and their entourages. Endless second third fourth and and country homes, palaces and estates etc etc. Lets End the 40k train rides round the uk for Chas and his misses. Lets put them in the same Q as the rest of us for NHS treatment and the like. Imagine if that was the case as in June 2012 Phil would still be waiting his turn! Once the royals are sorted out lets start on the top shelf of MP's and the speaker etc. make them pay the up keep of all their grace and favour pads, n country homes, lets start with the council tax due on these places as second homes etc. Just like the rest of us are forced to face. Lets stop all the first class trips round the world ( for the rest of us classed as benefits in kind ) Have they never heard of Skype?. In short give the lot of them a taste of their own medicine, let them pay their butlers wages instead of the tax payer being forced to pay it. In short plug all government waste and fiddles. Maybe then the rest of us, could end up paying a little less tax and for once actually keep a little more of what we earn. In short let those at the top practice a little of what they preach!!!!
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Even more money to throw on PFI schemes which benefit foreign banks that pay no tax at all.What a farce. Lucky Greeks living off German wealth.
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30 January 2015