Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 20
20
When we examined tax reliefs in 2014 we found that HMRC published estimates of only...
Conclusion
When we examined tax reliefs in 2014 we found that HMRC published estimates of only 46 reliefs which had economic and social objectives.35 Since then HMRC has responded to our recommendations that it be more transparent. In October 2019, it published for the first time a list of all 362 tax reliefs with economic and social objectives.36 It has now reported costs for 158 of these reliefs and plans to reports costs for more reliefs over the next two years.37 However, in its public reporting HMRC does not compare the cost of tax reliefs to published forecasts.38
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
5.1 The Government agrees with the recommendation. Target implementation date: December 2021 5.2 The government recognises the importance of transparency in providing information to inform the understanding of tax reliefs. HMRC includes links to external evaluations and research reports about tax reliefs in the annual statistics publications. HMRC will continue to publish externally commissioned evaluations and to include relevant internal evaluation findings in consultation documents. 5.3 HMRC's internal analysis takes a wide range of forms from comprehensive impact assessments to analysis to feed into policy advice to Ministers on specific options, proposals and decisions, which is necessarily confidential. In 2021 HMRC will put in place a more structured programme of internal evaluation work including plans to start publishing this analysis from 2021, subject to Ministerial approval. It will however remain the case that unpublished information included in policy advice for Ministers will be subject to the normal confidentiality arrangements for such advice.