PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
HM REVENUE AND CUSTOMS (25 July 2010)

That this House calls on the Government urgently to halt its programme of job cuts and office closures in Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC); is concerned that the Department is already failing to deliver an adequate service, having to write off over 11 billion worth of debt and over 40 million calls going unanswered in one year; believes that an adequate local HMRC presence is the best way to tackle the growing tax debt and problems in public service delivery; notes that HMRC officials have warned that any cuts resulting from the Comprehensive Spending Review 2010 will result in lower tax collection; further notes that the gap between taxes liable and the amount of revenue collected each year is not properly recorded; is alarmed that estimates of the tax gap vary between 25 billion and 123 billion; and calls on the Government to properly resource and staff HMRC to ensure that reducing the tax gap is prioritised over cuts to public spending as a means for reducing the national debt.

Sponsored by:
John McDonnell (Independent)