Taxation is a one of the key areas of enquiry for the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts (PAC), as the Committee has a role in scrutinising value for money, the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of public spending and holds the government and its civil servants to account for public services.
As HM Revenue & Customs' (HMRC) mission is to collect the money that pays for the UK's public services and help families and individuals with targeted financial support and it aims to administer the tax system in an efficient way, the Committee has an important role in ensuring that HMRC is doing its utmost to achieve this effectively and to the benefit of all taxpayers.
The Committee of Public Accounts has therefore routinely scrutinised HM Revenue and Customs' ability to collect taxes fairly and efficiently; exposed concerns about the tax planning industry; and contributed to the debate on the way in which multinational organisations arrange their tax affairs.
Previous work on HMRC
The Committee's annual inquiries into HMRC accounts have previously raised such key concerns as settlements in tax disputes, the department’s customer service performance and, most notably, tax avoidance by large multinational companies.
To see the Committee of Public Accounts work on HMRC from previous inquiries, please see the Committee's page on Taxation.
National Audit Office Report
The Committee’s inquiries are informed by the National Audit Office's Standard Report on the department’s accounts, which provides an annual overview of key elements within HMRC's financial statements. This year's NAO report focuses on HMRC and tax revenues and spending in 2015–16, transforming tax administration, tax reliefs and tax credits and Child Benefit error and fraud.