TAX

That this House calls on the Government to take urgent action to halt its programme of job cuts and office closures in HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC); is concerned that the Department is already failing to deliver an adequate service, having to write-off over 11 billion worth of debt and with over 40 million calls going unanswered in one year; believes that an adequate local HMRC presence is the best way to tackle the growing tax debt and problems in public service delivery; notes that HMRC officials have warned that any cuts resulting from the Comprehensive Spending Review 2010 will result in lower tax collection; further notes that the gap between tax liability and the amount of revenue collected each year is not properly recorded; is further concerned that estimates of the tax gap vary between 25 billion and 123 billion; and calls on the Government properly to resource and staff HMRC to ensure that reducing the tax gap is prioritised over cuts to public spending as a means for reducing the national debt.