Tax non-compliance during pandemic

Tax non-compliance during the pandemic cost the UK government £9 billion, according to a report from the National Audit Office (NAO).

Call 01323 411222 or email info@advanta-ca.com

Tax non-compliance during the pandemic cost the UK government £9 billion, according to a report from the National Audit Office (NAO).

HMRC redeployed around 1,350 workers to Covid-19 support schemes throughout 2020/21, shrinking the number of those working on tax compliance, the NAO said.

This reduced the tax authority's capacity to investigate people and businesses not paying the correct levels of tax, according to the NAO.

Before the pandemic, tax revenues from HMRC's compliance work were on average 5.2% of its total revenues. This dropped to 4.2% between 2020 and 2022 causing a £9 billion reduction in revenues.

Gareth Davies, Head of the NAO, said:

'HMRC had to move swiftly to reallocate resources to Covid-19 schemes, as the circumstances of the pandemic demanded. However, this directly affected its ability to investigate cases of people and businesses not paying the right tax.

'There is now a risk that more people ultimately fail to pay the right tax or escape investigation or prosecution. It is concerning that HMRC's planning indicates that non-compliance may grow following the pandemic. The next two years are critical, and swift action is likely to be needed to stem potential losses.

'There is little doubt that HMRC's compliance work offers good value for money, but it needs to evaluate its performance more consistently. Improving the effectiveness of HMRC's compliance work can help maximise the amount of money available for public services in a challenging economic context.'

Internet link: NAO website

We're only a phone call away!

By instructing us with a fixed fee agreement you can have unlimited access to all our team. This means that you can call on us at any time knowing that the meter is not running. So we hope that you will feel free to speak to us whenever you need to, without having to worry about the cost. If any extra work arises we will give you a fixed price quotation for the extra work before it is started.

Contact us

Contact Details

Please call:
01323 411222

Advanta Business Services Limited, 29 Gildredge Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 4RU

Home | Contact us | Site map | Accessibility | Disclaimer | Help | How have we done?

VAT Registration Number 857 3408 06.
Regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales for a range of investment business activities membership number C001232836.

© 2025 Advanta Business Services Limited. All rights reserved. powered by totalSOLUTION

We use cookies on this website, you can find more information about cookies here.