Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Oral Answers to Questions

Baroness Keeley Excerpts
Tuesday 16th June 2015

(9 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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David Gauke Portrait Mr Gauke
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As my hon. Friend will be aware, Treasury Ministers do not discuss individual cases, but I can say that the Government are determined to ensure we have a competitive tax regime in which everyone plays by the rules and pays their fair share. We have been involved in a number of crackdowns on tax avoidance, both domestically and internationally, with the OECD base erosion and profit shifting projects, and we continue to work hard on that.

Baroness Keeley Portrait Barbara Keeley (Worsley and Eccles South) (Lab)
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Well, it seems that the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T. C. Davies) does not have a lot of confidence in the measures being laid out by Ministers. Never mind percentages: the tax gap has increased to £34 billion. The US-Swiss tax deal raised £800 million in 2013, not the forecast £3.2 billion. Despite these failings, the Minister has just mentioned the manifesto promise to raise a further £5 billion. Will he start to tell us how he will do that? He has not even brought in tougher penalties on the general anti-avoidance rule.