Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many incidents of tax fraud involving (a) the VAT484 form and (b) other paper forms HMRC has recorded in each of last five financial years; and what the (i) total and (ii) average value of those incidents is.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston

HMRC regularly encounters attempts to fraudulently attack its systems and does not routinely keep records of the value of individual instances unless a pattern emerges.

Towards the end of February, HMRC identified a small number of cases which constituted more than isolated incidents. In these cases, paper VAT 484 forms had been wrongly used in an attempt to fraudulently gain access to VAT repayments. Immediate steps have been taken to prevent this from happening, and the situation is being monitored to see if further action is necessary.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what date (a) he and (b) HMRC first became aware of fraud involving the VAT484 form; and what steps he is taking to tackle such fraud.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston

HMRC regularly encounters attempts to fraudulently attack its systems and does not routinely keep records of the value of individual instances unless a pattern emerges.

Towards the end of February, HMRC identified a small number of cases which constituted more than isolated incidents. In these cases, paper VAT 484 forms had been wrongly used in an attempt to fraudulently gain access to VAT repayments. Immediate steps have been taken to prevent this from happening, and the situation is being monitored to see if further action is necessary.