A Tory MP has strongly implied that the HMRC’s permanent secretary Dave Hartnett has lied and says he should resign.

Jesse Norman MP wrote on his blog today:

In a Treasury Committee hearing on the 12th September, I cross-examined Mr Hartnett on his handling of the Goldman Sachs case. In response:

1. He strongly implied that he was not involved in the Goldman Sachs case.

2. He said, in terms, that he was not permitted, and had received legal advice to that effect, to discuss this or similar matters with me or other MPs.

But the Guardian’s story yesterday on Goldman Sachs puts that testimony under serious doubt, he says.

The Guardian reported that HMRC charged Goldman Sachs £10 million less than it owed, and that Dave Hartnett personally shook hands on the deal.

The story reported that there was ‘extreme unhappiness’ about his doing so from senior colleagues.

Norman adds:

In earlier testimony, Dave Hartnett told me that the Revenue never charged less than the tax owing–the Goldman Sachs shows this to be false. He also said that he could not recall seeing an example of tax evasion by a very big business. But who needs to evade tax when the Permanent Secretary is available to do private deals?

Indeed. (hat-tip @LouMcCudden)

It’s good that Tory MPs are now taking seriously the dysfunction at HMRC on tax evasion. Jesse Norman is a Conservative member of the Treasury Select Committee

Dave Harnett also earlier faced criticism for allowing companies such as Vodafone to avoid paying back billions in owed taxes.

Reader comments

1. HMRC chief now accused of ‘lying’ by Labour | Liberal Conspiracy

   [...] The Guardian revealed yesterday that the HMRC had let Goldman Sachs off £10m in interest payments. That prompted Conservative MP Jesse Norman, head of the Treasury Select Committee, to call for his resignation. [...]

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