WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Authorities have prosecuted only eight cases of tax evasion in the past two years.
OUR VERDICT
False. This figure refers to prosecutions for the enabling of tax evasion. HMRC has prosecuted around 400 people for tax evasion in the last two years.
Under the Tories, prosecutions for tax evasion have dropped by 80%. Only EIGHT cases were prosecuted in the past two years.
Labour MP Imran Hussain, who serves as the shadow minister for employment rights, issued a prompt correction to his inaccurate tweet. He wrongly claimed that authorities prosecuted only eight cases of tax evasion in the last two years. The correction clarified the actual number of prosecutions, addressing the error in his statement. The original post, subsequently deleted, garnered significant attention before Full Fact informed Mr. Hussain of the error.
HMRC and MP Imran Hussain VAT Tax Evasion
The figure of eight prosecutions, arising from a Freedom of Information request to HMRC by the Financial Times, specifically pertained to cases involving the enabling of tax evasion. Despite an 80% decline, HMRC clarified that 399 tax evasion prosecutions occurred in the past two years. This marks a significant drop from the 1,440 cases in the preceding two-year period.
HMRC attributed this decline to pandemic-related disruptions and emphasized a strategic focus on severe cases. They highlighted ongoing investigations into more than 100 enablers, emphasizing their commitment to holding both enablers and perpetrators of tax fraud accountable.
Upon contact regarding the error, Mr. Hussain expressed gratitude, promptly deleting the original post and replacing it with a corrected version specifying the context of enablers of VAT tax evasion. The incident highlights the importance of MPs correcting false or misleading claims promptly. Mr. Hussain commendably addressed the mistake on the same platform.
