Spilling the beans on tax dodgers

From my years in the Revenue I can tell you that people have always told the tax-man about those they reckoned were on the fiddle.  Often, but not always, the information was anonymous. Now the HMRC is publicly encouraging you to help them catch the fiddlers.

Tax evasion may be fun to some who enjoy the chase, but it’s not funny.  If only everyone paid the full amount of tax on their income then we could all pay a little less.  Some parts of the UK sffer more tax and benefit fraud than others, but chances are its going on near you. And now you have a way to sort it out – without getting involved.

HMRC launched a nationwide TV campaign to advertise their confidential Tax Evasion Hotline. You can phone it on 0800 788 887. The office is open 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm.  At weekends it closes at 4pm.

Or you can make a report online at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/tax-evasion/index.htm
Or if you prefer the old scribbled note on a school jotter, then post it to:
Freepost RSBT – YCYX – JYTK
HM Revenue & Customs
Tax Evasion Hotline Team
Albert Bridge House
1 Bridge Street
Manchester
M60 9DX

Give as much detail as you can to help identify the person involved.
You can rest assured that HMRC will look into what you tell them.  The page has boxes for various types of information about the suspect – name, vehicle registration, how long in business etc.  You only need fill in those boxes you know about.

Do not underestimate how valuable anonymous information can be to HMRC.  Having said that the more information you supply the better the chances of them being able to catch the person.  For example if you tell them about a guy who is a plumber who is not paying any tax that is helpful.  But even better would be telling them his mobile number, van registration and an address where he did some work, and the month he did it.

Just in case you live in a bright happy world assuming everyone pays their tax let me have a word.  Did you ever find someone not prepared to give you a receipt?  Wanting paid in cash?  Saying they needed cash because they didn’t have a bank account?  Not ringing your purchase into the till – just putting the money in?  All these are signs of fiddling.  It could be the businessperson fiddling the tax authorities, or it could even be a member of staff fiddling the very business which employs them.

Let’s face it – tax evasion is rife.  And the more information HM Revenue and Customs get about fiddlers the more chance they will be caught.  Do your bit and let them know – phone 0800 788 887 in confidence and speak up.  It’s your public duty.