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| Britain |
| Tax cheats to face lie detector test in £1bn clawback |
| 2010-09-20 |
| Debt collection agencies will work with HM Revenue and Customs to investigate the records of 150,000 people earning more than £150,000 a year — the threshold for the 50 per cent income tax rate. It comes after a pilot amnesty, aimed at the medical profession, led to one doctor handing over £1 million in unpaid taxes, and a dentist owning up to a £300,000 bill. Similar campaigns will be aimed at other high-earning professionals, such as those in the law, architecture and elite sports. After HMRC’s tax collection fiasco, ministers will commission private debt collection companies to claw back £1 billion in unpaid taxes. Companies such as Capita have pioneered the use of lie detector tests to identify potential fraudsters for the Department for Work and Pensions. Sources at HMRC suggested that “voice recognition analysis”, which alerts investigators when a caller claiming benefits sounds nervous, could be used to identify those seeking to mislead tax inspectors. Savers with offshore accounts will also be targeted, with a dedicated team aimed at catching those hiding money in foreign banks. Legally, private companies lack the power Government agents have to take severe enforcement measures, such as raiding properties. But sources said pilot schemes showed that even with the limited powers to write and telephone suspects they were far more efficient and effective at clawing back money than HMRC staff. Companies proved particularly successful at forcing tax avoiders to pay small sums. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #1 Either the taxes are owed or they aren't. What do you need a lie detector test for? |
| Posted by: American Delight 2010-09-20 21:40 |