HMRC’s Powers and Evaluation Forum, of which this Institute is a member, has recommenced its work starting with data and transparency post the initial impact of the pandemic. It is seeking your responses to the below request by 21 August 2020. Please contact Leontia Doran by Monday 10 August with your views.

“Background

HMRC is committed to increasing transparency and enhancing public trust by publishing more data and information about the exercise of our powers. As part of that we want to engage with stakeholders, including taxpayers and their representatives, to identify what further data and information HMRC should publish in support of these goals. The full Written Ministerial Statement is available here: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-07-22/HCWS1785/.

Last September we expanded the range of performance and management information we publish to include 14 new metrics, including around debt management, customs and customer experience: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-quarterly-performance-update-april-to-june-2019.

In November 2019, we published quarterly experimental compliance data including the number of closed civil and criminal compliance checks, total prosecutions and criminal sentences as well as the outcomes of court decisions: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-quarterly-performance-update-july-to-september-2019

HMRC will now be undertaking an internal exercise and feasibility pilots to consider what, if any, further datasets might potentially be published in a way that helps the public understand HMRC’s approach to compliance.

Questions of the Forum

We would like you, as a Forum member, to act as conduit to assist in our understanding of what data external stakeholders would like HMRC to publish to enhance their trust that HMRC is using its powers proportionately. We are asking a few high-level questions to give flexibility in capturing the datasets your experience suggest should be published as well as the rationale and reasoning. Our questions are:

1. Do you know where HMRC publishes information and how to access it?
2. Do you think if HMRC published further data it would improve your understanding of how HMRC uses its powers and the operation of taxpayer safeguards?
3. What information do you think it most important for HMRC to publish to improve trust and transparency?
4. Why do you think this would help improve trust and transparency?

Following the responses internal assessments will be undertaken on the feasibility of any proposed suggestions on further data publications.”