HMRC tax boss promises to clarify tax deals
Tuesday, 18 October 2011 09:54
The top taxman at HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has said he will provide a report tomorrow (October 19th) giving details of two controversial tax settlements involving Goldman Sachs and Vodafone.
Following a grilling by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Dave Hartnett, the permanent secretary on tax at HMRC, told MPs he would give written clarification of the deals, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Described as "odd" by PAC member and Tory MP Stephen Barclay, the deals are thought to have let Goldmans off £10 million in tax and Vodaphone as much as £4.75 billion.
Mr Hartnett told the PAC he could not give them details due to HMRC confidentiality rules, which led Mr Barclay to accuse him of using the rules to cover up his own mistakes.
Margaret Hodge, Labour chairman of the PAC, insisted that the Committee were "not going to let matters rest".
She added that cabinet secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell had agreed to meet her and another member of the PAC to discuss how much information they could demand from Mr Hartnett.
In addition to the Vodafone and Goldman deals, reports suggest there are two further companies with similar tax agreements that remain secret.
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