Twentieth Report - Tax Reliefs

The tax system is too complicated. The huge and seemingly ever-expanding suite of tax reliefs is an important factor in that complexity. We welcome, and will monitor, the Treasury’s commitment to simplifying the tax system. That simplification cannot merely focus on proposed new policies.

We recommend that the Government undertake a comprehensive and systematic review of existing tax reliefs to look for opportunities for simplification. In doing so, they should in particular look for ways of making it easier for taxpayers to adhere to the rules.

Tax reliefs account for considerable reduction in tax revenue. They require adequate data to be collected and published to inform proper policymaking or accountability. However, the evidence shows that this is not happening. The disparity between scrutiny of tax reliefs and that of equivalent direct public expenditure is stark.

There are 1,180 tax reliefs, but HMRC only publishes estimated cost data for 365, leaving 815 uncosted. We recommend HMRC publish cost data for all tax reliefs from the 2025/26 tax year onwards.

We recommend the Treasury reclassify tax reliefs as Government expenditure. This would subject reliefs to established value for money assessment, leading to improved scrutiny and ultimately better policy.

We recommend that Government consider how to ensure that the relevant delivery department takes more responsibility for the budgeting for each non-structural tax relief, those designed to promote particular behaviours, in conjunction with the Treasury. This would be intended to promote increased Ministerial accountability and subject such reliefs to levels of Treasury oversight and spending control characteristic of departmental spending. (Paragraph 28) Abuse of Tax Reliefs

Tax reliefs have been abused. The most straightforward way to reduce opportunities for such abuse is to simplify the tax system. Where tax reliefs are maintained, we recommend the Government monitor them for indications of abuse as part of ongoing review processes. The Government should seek and favour external consultation on potential abuse at both policy design and post-implementation monitoring phases. (Paragraph 37) 18 Tax Reliefs Removing reliefs from the statute book

Political pressure, including through lobbying, tends to promote both the creation of new tax reliefs and the retention of existing reliefs. Tax reliefs long detached from their original policy purpose clutter an ever more complex tax system. We are concerned that there is no routine within Government to identify and clean them from the statute book.

We have taken evidence on several options for seeking to remove outdated tax reliefs from the statute book. A “one in, one out” rule for tax reliefs would be a blunt instrument which could reduce flexibility in policy-making. Sunset clauses have their place, but tax relief expiry dates can act against the certainty important to promoting long-term investment. A formal, structured system of five-yearly reviews would provide enough time to judge the effectiveness of a tax relief and allow an opportunity to remove those reliefs no longer meeting their objectives.

We recommend that the Government institutes a system of five-yearly reviews, incorporating public consultation, for tax reliefs. Where these reviews find tax reliefs which no longer achieve policy objectives, are vulnerable to abuse, or have estimated costs significantly higher than expectations, then the Government should commit to removing those reliefs. (Paragraph 51) Tax Reliefs 19