Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Oral Answers to Questions

Jeremy Lefroy Excerpts
Tuesday 21st December 2010

(14 years ago)

Commons Chamber
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George Osborne Portrait Mr Osborne
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The hon. Gentleman seems to forget that child poverty was rising under the last Labour Government and we have put forward policies to increase social mobility and tackle the causes as well as the symptoms of poverty.

Jeremy Lefroy Portrait Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford) (Con)
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T9. As the Chancellor knows, I have written to the Treasury with details provided to me by a Staffordshire resident of an extraordinary tax avoidance scheme inherited from the last Government. I hope that it will not last long. In the spirit of Christmas, will the Chancellor invite his predecessors around for a dram so that they can explain why they found tax avoidance such a hard nut to crack?

David Gauke Portrait Mr Gauke
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As we have heard, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’ assessment of the tax gap was £42 billion, but we are taking measures to address that. It is right that we do so, and we showed our determination this month when we announced a series of measures to reduce tax avoidance.