In December 2014 the government published information about the status and performance of HMRC Campaigns.

In order to reduce the UK tax deficit, which is estimated to be £34bn, HMRC has developed a number of tax disclosure campaigns to encourage individuals to come forward and bring their tax affairs up to date.

HMRC Campaigns offered:

  • Individuals the opportunity to bring their tax affairs up to date in the best possible terms;
  • Guidance and information to ensure that their affairs stay up to date;
  • Feedback to HMRC to ensure that the efficiency of customer service processes improved.

Since 2007, it has been confirmed that HMRC has recovered £596 million in unpaid tax from individuals who had come forward to make a voluntary disclosure through a HMRC Campaign. There has been an additional £338 million collected as a result of ‘follow up activities’ such as tax investigations and prosecutions in more serious cases.

HMRC has developed a number of initiatives to encourage individuals to come forward to clarify their tax positions. The figures below show the amount of tax recovered by each campaign.