Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 12
9th Report - Tax evasion in the retail sector
Published 12 Feb 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Tax evasion in the retail sector All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Previously HMRC had an overall aim to stop the tax gap increasing.29 HMRC told us that it now wants to reduce the tax gap.30 At Autumn Budget 2024, the government increased HMRC’s settlement for 2025–26 by 4.5% in real terms and announced it was investing £1.4 billion over five years for HMRC to recruit 5,000 additional compliance staff.31 HMRC told us this investment will allow it to bear down on the tax gap, including tax evasion.32
From: Public Accounts Committee, 9th Report - Tax evasion in the retail sector (HC 355), 12 February 2025
Government response
Latest Treasury Minutes progress report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Ninth Report of Session 2024-26
The government responded to the whole report on 4 June 2026.
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Ninth report from Session 2024-25
Published 6 May 2025.