Measures against Promoters of Tax Avoidance “don’t go far enough”

The new package of measures announced by the Government to crack down on promoters of tax avoidance schemes won’t eliminate the problem, according to the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo).

Tania Bowers, Global Public Policy Director at APSCo comments:

Although the measures are designed to introduce tougher consequences for tax avoidance, more needs to be done. The plans to hold directors of companies involved in promoting tax avoidance accountable is something we called for and welcome, but if this fraudulent behaviour is to be stopped, these firms need to be blocked from the supply chain entirely.

Businesses that are involved in fraud knowingly are unlikely to be swayed by additional criminal charges. Instead, their access to recruitment supply chains needs to be cut off. To do this, complete transparency is required to ensure that no firm inadvertently partners with a non-compliant business or promoter of tax avoidance scheme due to lack of information.

The UK Government can’t tackle this issue alone. As many promoters are likely to be operating overseas, cooperation with international tax authorities is a must and we urge policymakers to consider how this can also be implemented.