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The main purpose of taxation is to provide the government with the funds needed to deliver public

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The main purpose of taxation is to provide the government with the funds needed to deliver public services, reduce poverty in society, and to invest in country development and security systems, (IMF, OECD, World Bank, 2011). Although the vast majority of the society pays their tax liability, there are number of businesses and individuals who avoid it. This causes the ‘tax gap’, the difference between the expected revenues and the amounts actually collected by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), ( HM Revenue & Customs and HM Treasury, 2014).

The several actions have been taken by the authorities to close the tax gap. Main strategy of HMRS is to prevent tax avoidance and tax evasion through early detection of potential deceivers, and encouraging …show more content…

This will ensure better control allowing HMRC on establishing whether multinational firms fully declare earnings made in the UK, and if they are appropriately taxed on them. ( HM Revenue & Customs and HM Treasury, 2014). Most recently, in March 2014, Mr Osborne also announced “pay now, argue later” approach to be used towards more than 30,000 the richest tax avoiders. The intention of new approach is to discourage system abuse by “ensuring that avoiders are unable to benefit financially during the often protracted dispute process by sitting on money that should be in the taxman's coffers”, (Bowers, 2014).

Over recent times, tax avoidance and evasion topic has come under spotlight of the media, as being key factor contributing to the creation of the tax gap. The media implies that anyone who does not pay the potential maximum is failing to fulfil their social duty.
There are many cases where criticism is justified. For instance, Starbucks, the biggest coffee chain in Britain, had only paid £8.6m in corporation tax, insisting the business made loss for 14 years out of 15 years of trading in the UK. The company CEO, Troy Alstead, asked by Margaret Hodge, MP’s on the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, why would they keep operating in the UK, he replied that they are committed to this market place and customers,

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