Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
HMRC is responsible for administering several government interventions in response to COVID-19.
Conclusion
HMRC is responsible for administering several government interventions in response to COVID-19. These include: grant-paying measures, such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Eat Out to Help Out; measures to defer payments of tax liabilities, such as deferring VAT and self-assessment payments; and other tax measures, such as a VAT cut from 20% to 5% on food, accommodation and attractions. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has published estimates for the costs of COVID-19 measures. It estimates the costs of measures administered by HMRC, apart from the extra cost of the extension to the CJRS measure, at more than £80 billion.22