01 January 2009
Taxation
A House of Commons report into tax evasion among white collar professionals shows that 57 barristers were caught by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and that 36 of the barristers have since reached a private settlement.
The revelation appears in a House of Commons Public Accounts Committee report: HMRC: Tackling the Hidden Economy, published last month. None of the barristers concerned has been prosecuted.
MPs want HMRC to double the number of prosecutions and raise public awareness of the risks evaders face.
Committee chairman Edward Leigh MP, says: “With a detection rate of only 1.5%, the chances of being caught are very slight.”
