Labour demands HMRC probe into ministers’ taxes

Labour has called on HMRC to look into whether any government minister with responsibility for tax policy has ever benefitted from undeclared tax arrangements as a result. This comes following headlines over the non-dom tax status enjoyed by Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshata Murty, as well as questions over Health Secretary Sajid Javid’s use of an offshore trust while working as a Treasury adviser. In a letter to HMRC, Labour Treasury spokesperson James Murray called for an investigation to provide “full clarity that no sitting government minister who has been involved in any way with shaping tax policy has benefitted from those policies through personal and previously undeclared tax arrangements linked to offshore tax havens.” He wrote: “While it should be obvious, given recent stories of links to tax havens and loopholes from the chancellor and health secretary, taxpayers need to be reassured that ministers are in no way influencing tax policy for their own personal gain.” Looking into the matter, the Independent contacted a number of cabinet ministers, with only five out of 22 prepared to confirm publicly that they and their families do not benefit from the use of tax havens or non-dom status.

The Independent

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