New online map pinpoints tax cheats in East Midlands

The map allows people to see the impact of HMRC’s enforcement work.

It shows convictions resulting in jail sentences since April 2013, and the locations of HMRC taskforces since they were introduced in 2011. It will be expanded in the future to include non-custodial sentences since April 2013.

The interactive site also features the results of HMRC taskforces targeting specific trades and professions, as well as details of people caught and jailed as a result of investigations by HMRC’s Criminal Investigation teams.

David Gauke, financial secretary to the Treasury, said: “HMRC’s investigators are catching tax cheats in every corner of the country and we want people to be able to see the outcome of this enforcement action.

“HMRC’s new online enforcement map shows tax cheats that when they are caught they can face hefty prison sentences.

“It is yet another example of how the government is making HMRC’s work more transparent.”

HMRC’s Chief Executive, Lin Homer, said: “HMRC is prosecuting more tax cheats every year and targeting more trades and professions where we have identified that tax revenue is at risk. This map shows the scale of our criminal investigation operations, so tax cheats should be seriously worried that HMRC is coming for them next.”

The site is being launched as a pilot. This will allow HMRC to add further information and seek customer feedback.

Recent HMRC successes include:

l bringing in a record £23.9 billion of additional revenue in 2013-14

l securing a total of 2,700 years in jail sentences between April 2010 and March 2014

l prosecuting 2,650 people for tax crime from April 2010 to March 2014.

More information, including non-custodial sentences, will be added throughout 2015.

The map can be viewed at http://hmrcdigitalpilots.com