Labour can show commitment to taxpayer fairness by suspending loan charge: Greg Wright
The Chancellor Rachel Reeves has revealed that the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury James Murray -an outspoken critic of the loan charge – is to become chair of the HMRC board, as part of the new Government’s drive to reform HMRC and improve customer service. This move has been welcomed by sector professionals and academics, including Judith Freedman, the Oxford Emeritus Professor of Tax Law, who said on the social media site, X, that the announcement that a minister is to be chair of the HMRC board is important. She added: “Until now (there has been) no ministerial responsibility for HMRC, supposedly as matter of principle so as not to interfere with operational decisions. But that was always (a) silly excuse. This is a good change.”
Thousands of people affected by the loan charge scandal hope Mr Murray will act to destroy this controversial tax policy. The scale of this tragic saga was described in horrifying detail by MPs of all parties in a House of Commons debate earlier this year. The tax policy has affected an estimated 60,000 people and been linked to 10 suicides, the Commons was told. In January, the DUP MP Sammy Wilson said there were “frightening parallels” between the loan charge and the Horizon IT scandal, which saw more than 700 Post Office branch managers handed criminal convictions after faulty Fujitsu accounting software made it appear as though money was missing.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdMr Wilson and other MPs tabled a parliamentary motion on the loan charge that warned many people are facing “unaffordable demands”, there is the “risk of further suicides” and that a review conducted by Lord Morse was “limited and not genuinely independent” of the Treasury and HMRC. MPs supported the non-binding motion, but the then Treasury minister Nigel Huddleston said he did not believe the case had been made for another review.
Mr Murray's views on the loan charge are well-documented. In 2021, when he was Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury, he called for a new independent review into the loan charge and tougher action against scheme promoters who had left their victims, including NHS workers, with life-changing tax bills. Three years ago, Mr Murray told The Yorkshire Post that it “was basic good governance and common sense” to see that the approach being taken by the Tory Government to the loan charge was going badly wrong.
He told me: “This is not really about party politics. It’s about having a tax system that is fair and doing the right thing for people who are being very seriously impacted by the loan charge.”
Earlier this month, Mr Murray said he and Ms Reeves know the loan charge is a “very important matter” for many MPs and their constituents. They have been considering this matter since taking office and have promised to provide an update “in due course”.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe new Labour Government has been given a mandate to reform HMRC. Ordering a suspension and review of the loan charge would show that it has an unwavering commitment to justice and taxpayer fairness.
Greg Wright is the deputy business editor of The Yorkshire Post
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.