Loan Charge Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Loan Charge

Michael Fallon Excerpts
Thursday 11th April 2019

(5 years ago)

Commons Chamber
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Stephen Metcalfe Portrait Stephen Metcalfe
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My right hon. and learned Friend makes some good points, and I am aware that the Government have set out some of the mitigating measures they want to put in place. I am sure we all welcome those measures, but there is a need for both a pause and a full and proper review of what is being proposed to see whether we are acting in a way that would be considered to be natural justice.

Stephen Metcalfe Portrait Stephen Metcalfe
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I want to continue. In failing to act back in 2012, when it had the opportunity—and surely the duty—to do so, HMRC denied my constituent the opportunity to depart the arrangements and seek an alternative solution for his payroll needs.

Michael Fallon Portrait Sir Michael Fallon
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My hon. Friend has been so generous in giving way that I hesitate to intervene once again. When he says that something feels wrong, he is on to something, because what feels wrong to some of us is that the equivalent effort does not seem to be put into pursuing the promoters of the schemes, or indeed the employers, and that the entire weight of recovering the so-called tax gap is falling only on the employees. That does not feel right.