Tax Avoidance and Evasion

HC Deb 30 January 1989 vol 146 cc9-10W

Mr. Allen

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money has been lost to the Exchequer each year since 1979 because of tax avoidance and evasion; and how many prosecutions have resulted(a) nationally and (b) in the tax area covering Nottingham.

Mr. Norman Lamont

It is not possible to say how much revenue is lost through tax avoidance and evasion.

The numbers of criminal prosecutions nationally for tax fraud in each year since 1979 are as follows.

Year	Number of prosecutions
1979–80	150
1980–81	188
1981–82	175
1982–83	142
1983–84	159
1984–85	238
1985–86	320
1986–87	325
1987–88	213

The Inland Revenue does not keep records of tax prosecutions by locality and separate figures are not available for the Nottingham tax area.