House of Commons – Feb. 25, 2020 – 35

I beg to move, That this House notes that the tax gap, the difference between the amount of tax that should be paid to HMRC and what is actually paid, has been estimated at between a minimum of £35 billion and £90 billion;

believes that successive Conservative governments have failed to address tax avoidance and evasion while making savage cuts to public services and undermining the social security net;

further notes that the Tax Justice Network has described the UK as backsliding on financial transparency;

is concerned by reports of the Conservative Party’s links with individuals and companies that have engaged in tax avoidance;

and calls for the proper funding of public services after a decade of austerity and for robust action to tackle tax avoidance and evasion.