Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to tackle landfill tax fraud in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England.

In recent years, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has deployed additional resources to tackle landfill tax fraud and support the Joint Unit of Waste Crime (JUWC) and other agencies to identify and tackle wider waste crime. HMRC created a team to monitor high risk waste producers to deter misdescription at source and reduce non-compliance across the sector. It has increased compliance activity with landfill site operators to ensure they are complying with legislative requirements.

The government set out in the Consultation on the reform of Landfill Tax that as part of its Landfill Tax Review it would consider options for structural changes to the tax and the potential impacts on Landfill Tax fraud. This is alongside wider environmental regulatory reforms designed to improve compliance and tackle waste crime.