Anti-avoidance Rule

HC Deb 27 April 1999 vol 330 cc124-5W

Mr. Gibb

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the results of the General Anti-avoidance Rule and Mini-GAAR consultation process. [82404]

Dawn Primarolo

The Chancellor said in a Budget Day Press Release that the General Anti-avoidance Rule (GAAR) for corporate direct tax remains an option for the future if more targeted legislation proves ineffective in dealing with the problem of avoidance, but that the Government would not be proceeding with a GAAR in this Budget or with a mini-GAAR for VAT on construction services. The Chancellor has asked Customs to consider a mini-GAAR in the area of the VAT grouping facility.

The responses to the consultative documents (other than those made confidentially) may be inspected at the head offices of the Inland Revenue or Customs and Excise.