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Should tax evaders be named and shamed?

John Fitzsimons
by Lovemoney Staff John Fitzsimons on 16 August 2012  |  Comments 13 comments

As the taxman publishes details of its most wanted tax evaders, we ask whether going public is the best way to bring them to justice and crack down on tax evasion?

Should tax evaders be named and shamed?

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has published a gallery of 20 of the nation’s most wanted tax evaders.

The taxman reckons these individuals – many of whom are believed to be living outside the UK – are responsible for £765 million of tax evasion and fraud. It believes that by publishing this information, members of the public may help them track down the tax fugitives.

The pictures have been published on the HMRC’s Flickr account. The people featured include those who have already been found guilty of crimes such as money laundering and smuggling, while others have outstanding warrants for their arrest.

It’s important to note that these people have committed tax evasion, which is illegal, unlike tax avoidance, which is what celebrities like Jimmy Carr were slammed for earlier this year.

So do you think the taxman is right to go public in this way?

 

 

More on tax:

Why Britain needs a worldwide tax

How to get a tax refund

Are 'cash in hand' payments morally wrong?

Talking about your inheritance is not evil

How a Robin Hood tax would benefit you

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Comments (13)

  • Felicity Hannah
    Love rating 10
    Felicity Hannah said

    I think that extreme tax evaders should definitely be named and shamed. And ridiculed and mocked and generally made examples of.

    But if you name and shame ALL tax evaders then the really nasty ones will just be lost in a sea of minor evaders. I think naming 20 really bad ones is a great idea, but a constantly updated gallery would just mean the public and press lost interest.

    Report on 16 August 2012  |  Love thisLove  2 loves
  • Felicity Hannah
    Love rating 10
    Felicity Hannah said

    It does frustrate me that I have several friends who were v angry re Jimmy Carr's avoidance, but who evaded tax themselves in a number of jobs straight after they graduated by simply working for cash in hand.

    People who get very angry about avoidance seem to have fairly selective memories about paying with or working for cash in hand. I realise it's not in the same league as these miscreants, but it's certainly the same game.

    Sorry, rant over. Back to work.

    Report on 16 August 2012  |  Love thisLove  2 loves
  • edwardmk2879
    Love rating 57
    edwardmk2879 said

    Definitely name and shame the worst tax evaders. They should go to jail. However, how about naming and shaming MP's who either falsify claims or claim for non-allowable 'expenses'. The biggest criminals however are the Banksters who rig Libor, short their own recommendations to clients, and lobby the government to bail them out so they can keep their bonuses at our espense. My rant also over and back to work!

    Report on 16 August 2012  |  Love thisLove  3 loves
  • peterdmare
    Love rating 0
    peterdmare said

    If companies do it by creating a mailbox in the Luxembourg, why shouldn't the average Joe! WHEN the politicians will clamp down on the big fish, the small fish should do the same as the big fish! PERIOD! I believe there is a whole lot more corruption that we are aware of. A report in the US showed that many Democrats were taking advantage of loopholes that the laws created (they created). Search Google for 60 minutes. And many corporations are going to tax havens, according to many reports, one from France. They estimate that 20 to 30 trillions is hidden in tax havens = 600 billions of tax money!

    Report on 16 August 2012  |  Love thisLove  0 loves
  • ronat42
    Love rating 62
    ronat42 said

    Let's go even further and make it a weekly event with great publicity. A new one every week and refresher of all previous outstanding ones. The sooner this takes effect the sooner the rest of us can stop paying their share of the taxes so let's get on with it and a weekly full page feature in all national papers would help it along.

    The Olympics have demonstrated that there are a majority of people who feel strongly about the better side of this country once they have been given something to focus their energies on so it just demonstrates what can be done when the Great British People are motivated.

    Report on 16 August 2012  |  Love thisLove  0 loves
  • electricblue
    Love rating 643
    electricblue said

    Short answer is a qualified YES.

    Seems to be the one subject where everyone puts forward the excuse that because some get away with tax evasion on a big scale, then why should the average person be expected to be law abiding? Imperfect world we live in and because some despots are murdering en masse, you are hardly justified in wanting to kill your neighbour and not be brought to justice. Very many more law abiding people and corporations than there are corrupt ones (even applies to MP's). Lets keep up with the public outcry, but not lose the message with unreasonable venom towards all MP's, all bankers and all international corporations.

    Keep the differentiation between tax evasion and tax avoidance perfectly clear. I'm really annoyed that Ebay and Paypal are registered in Luxembourg and I think laws should be changed, but they are currently acting legally.

    Report on 16 August 2012  |  Love thisLove  0 loves
  • Tanni
    Love rating 91
    Tanni said

    Name and shame the lobbying firms, members of Parliament who leave such loopholes for tax evasion to occur in the first place. Do not leave loop holes for your rich mates should be the case.

    Report on 16 August 2012  |  Love thisLove  2 loves
  • Mike10613
    Love rating 599
    Mike10613 said

    It's a good idea to name and publicise the details of everyone wanted for criminal offences. We should remember though that people are innocent until proven guilty. There should always be a trial and punishment, is they are found guilty. We don't need to publicise possible minor offences, that is just petty...

    Report on 16 August 2012  |  Love thisLove  0 loves
  • Dame
    Love rating 27
    Dame said

    1. Until they have been tried in court and found guilty they are innocent. This is a cornerstone of English Law. Naming and shaming is possibly prejudicial.

    2. People are bloody hypocrites!

    3. Why didn't the HMRC name and shame all the MP's who flipped their residences to evade capital gains tax?

    Report on 16 August 2012  |  Love thisLove  1 love
  • Aitken B
    Love rating 109
    Aitken B said

    Doubtless the decision to name and shame would rest with HMRC and also doubtless they would be naming and shaming those whom they think are evading TAX.

    As has been mentioned, evading tax is a criminal offence and as such any naming and shaming before the person has been convicted would be libel.

    It has also been stated that a person is innocent until proven guilty by a jury of his peers in an impartial court of law. "A great pillar of our legal system" I hear you all say.

    Oh would that were true.

    Increasingly we are being subjected to various government agencies being given the power (power not right) of Judge, jury and executioner.

    There is one Police force that is introducing forced removals of the male from the family home in cases of domestic disturbances. While one can see the protection benefit for the genuinely abused wife and family it hardly accords with the principles of innocent until proven guilty. Also, just try to defend a false accusation of speeding and you will find that unless you are in the fortunate position where you can prove your innocence you are screwed. Again, what happened to innocent until proven guilty.

    The point about highly selective "naming and shaming" is also very well made. Was flipping your home address actually legal? Did not claiming "expenses" that did not conform to the "green book" amount to fraud? What about the nice cosy deals, between TAX officials and some large organisations, made over relaxed and no doubt extended lunches? Where is that in the spectrum of evasion vs avoidance? Will the powerless be the ones to get screwed and the well-connected get away with it?

    No no and again no. This is just another click on the ratchet to the police state and a desperate piece of spin to show they are doing something.

    It should be resisted at all costs.

    Report on 17 August 2012  |  Love thisLove  0 loves
  • Tanni
    Love rating 91
    Tanni said

    @felicity two wrongs do not make a right.

    Most low earners that evade/avoid tax do so at the rates of 10 - 20% on earnings of 25k or less. Thousands of small tax dodgers still pay 10 -20% in tax at least. Their illegally earned money circulates in the local economy, yet The rich top end tax dodgers pay 1% or less in tax and ship the money out of the country. Both are still wrong but given the choice I would prosecute the top end avoiders.

    Report on 18 August 2012  |  Love thisLove  0 loves
  • Tanni
    Love rating 91
    Tanni said

    @ electricblue, yes they must be named and shamed and yes the law needs to addressed.

    PayPal eBay are based abroad, but why are 90% of the banks in London not paying full rates of tax. London has more tax dodgers than most and most of these work in the city. Do not forget the many illegals evading tax but when you compare to what the banks getaway with it is tiny in comparison but easy to blame illegals rather then the bank rolling crooks; the banks. It's all about who and what you know. These firms employ a herd of lawyers and accountants who bend over backwards to ensure savings are made by not paying tax.

    Report on 18 August 2012  |  Love thisLove  0 loves
  • Henry-GBG
    Love rating 46
    Henry-GBG said

    Change the system. Nobody evades paying property tax. Why are people so against taxes that cannot be evaded? We ask for trouble and are then surprised when it comes-.

    Report on 11 January 2013  |  Love thisLove  0 loves

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