To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.

Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Tax Evasion
Monday 23rd March 2015

Asked by: William Bain (Labour - Glasgow North East)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many individuals and companies have been prosecuted for tax evasion in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by David Gauke

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is not a prosecuting authority. Where cases do proceed to the criminal courts the prosecution is carried out by the relevant independent prosecuting authority. This is the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England and Wales, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in Scotland, and the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (PPSNI). Prosecutions for criminal offences are only instigated against individuals, not companies.

This Government has invested over £917million over this Parliament which has seen the volume of mass market evasion prosecutions implemented as a result of HMRC Criminal Investigations increase fivefold.

The table below shows all prosecutions arising from HMRC criminal investigations including those for money laundering, other prohibitions and restrictions and other non-fiscal offences.

YearTotal number of persons prosecuted as a result of HMRC Criminal Investigations
2010-11420
2011-12545
2012-13770
2013-14915

The following table excludes cases prosecuted for money laundering, other prohibitions and restrictions and other non-fiscal offences as included in the table above and shows prosecutions for tax evasion offences only.

YearTotal number of persons prosecuted for tax evasion as result of HMRC Criminal Investigations
2010-11372
2011-12501
2012-13739
2013-14880

HMRC is not able to supply a time series of full year prosecution decisions and convictions resulting from their criminal investigations for years up to 2009–10. Complete, comparable data is only available from 2010–11 onwards.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 10 Mar 2015
Oral Answers to Questions

"For hard-pressed taxpayers, the real test of whether the Government are committed to cracking down on tax evasion and avoidance will be whether this month’s Finance Bill contains legal penalties for breach of the general anti-abuse rule. Will the Financial Secretary tell us whether those will feature in the Finance …..."
William Bain - View Speech

View all William Bain (Lab - Glasgow North East) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 04 Mar 2015
Future Government Spending

"It has been a pleasure to listen to the whole of this debate and to make a contribution at this stage. It has been a revealing debate, showing the paucity of the Government and the Conservatives’ argument for re-election. It comes down to this: “We have nearly doubled the debt, …..."
William Bain - View Speech

View all William Bain (Lab - Glasgow North East) contributions to the debate on: Future Government Spending
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 04 Mar 2015
Future Government Spending

"Indeed, and as the Institute for Fiscal Studies said this morning, this has been the slowest recovery in living standards in history. I do not think any reasonable Government would expect to be re-elected with that kind of record, and those are the facts.

What was extraordinary about the debate …..."
William Bain - View Speech

View all William Bain (Lab - Glasgow North East) contributions to the debate on: Future Government Spending
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 04 Mar 2015
Future Government Spending

"rose—..."
William Bain - View Speech

View all William Bain (Lab - Glasgow North East) contributions to the debate on: Future Government Spending
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 04 Mar 2015
Future Government Spending

"I am most grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving way at last.

The “Charter for Budget Responsibility” states that the Treasury will balance the current budget

“by the end of the third year of the rolling, 5-year forecast period.”

Can the Minister point out the reference to 2017-18? If …..."
William Bain - View Speech

View all William Bain (Lab - Glasgow North East) contributions to the debate on: Future Government Spending
Written Question
Tax Avoidance and Evasion
Tuesday 3rd March 2015

Asked by: William Bain (Labour - Glasgow North East)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff in HM Revenue and Customs have been assigned to deal with (a) pursuing cases of tax evasion and (b) investigating tax avoidance schemes in each of the last four financial years.

Answered by David Gauke

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) allocates resources in a flexible manner, so that it maximises performance.

Information on the structure and organisation of HM Revenue and Customs is available at

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrcs-annual-report-and-accounts

Written Question
Landlords: Taxation
Friday 27th February 2015

Asked by: William Bain (Labour - Glasgow North East)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will assess the effect on revenues to the Exchequer of buy-to-let landlords (a) being able to offset their bank interest against taxable income, (b) claiming the 10 per cent wear and tear allowance and (c) minimising their exposure to capital gains tax on the sale of properties by use of allowances or reliefs in each of the last three years.

Answered by David Gauke

The information requested is not available.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 25 Feb 2015
Bankers’ Bonuses and the Banking Industry

"I think it is fair to say that many of us have been speaking to ever-rising numbers of constituents in the past few weeks, and I am confident that that will continue in the weeks to come. Members will acknowledge that the sense on the doorstep and on high streets …..."
William Bain - View Speech

View all William Bain (Lab - Glasgow North East) contributions to the debate on: Bankers’ Bonuses and the Banking Industry
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 25 Feb 2015
Bankers’ Bonuses and the Banking Industry

"My hon. Friend’s point will have as much salience in Inverclyde as it does in Glasgow North East and, I believe, in every constituency. When the maximum number of people in this country are involved in the economy, we have a broader tax base and more tax revenue coming in. …..."
William Bain - View Speech

View all William Bain (Lab - Glasgow North East) contributions to the debate on: Bankers’ Bonuses and the Banking Industry