HC Deb 04 December 2002 vol 395 cc833-4W
Matthew Taylor

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies were subjected to penalties by the Large Business Office and Special Business Office in fiscal year 2000–01; what the total levels of penalty were; and if he will make a statement. [82039]

Dawn Primarolo

The Large Business Office and the Special Compliance Office do not at present keep their records in a way that allows this information to be provided, except at disproportionate cost. The Inland Revenue are reviewing their record systems with a view to providing information more easily in future.

Matthew Taylor

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases were settled by the Large Business Office and Special Business Office in the last five fiscal years; and if he will make a statement. [82041]

Dawn Primarolo

The figures are as follows:

Large business office Special compliance office
1997–98 983
1998–99 3,366 877
1999–2000 2,757 869
2000–01 2,519 810
2001–02 2,105 738

For the Large Business Office, figures for 1997–98 are not available on a comparable basis with those for other years. The figures for other years are of numbers of adjustments to taxable profits or losses recorded on issues into which the Office has inquired. In each year, several such adjustments may arise on any one case.

The Special Compliance Office has focused on larger and more complex cases in recent years. The Large Business Office, focuses resources on achieving greater voluntary compliance by taxpayers.