Introduction
Tax evasion is the practice of deliberately failing in an individual, corporate or trust’s obligations to remit their correct and due tax liability. The same can culminate into a criminal offense whose elements may require proof of omission or misinterpretation in the remittance or declaration of the correct tax position of the persons indicated above.
The article reviewed herein is “HMRC empowered to name and shame tax evasion ‘enablers,‘” an article done by Jessica Elgot in the Guardian newspaper on the 1st of January, 2017. The article, in essence, alludes to the directive given by the government, mandating the HMRC to target not only the evaders of tax obligations but also the parties who assist with the technical expertise to help the former in evading their obligations.
Review
The article begins with a commentary on the directive, indicating the punitive measures due to the parties that will be found culpable of enabling the crime. The penalty was placed on an amount of $3,000 or the amount they assisted the corporate or individual to evade, whichever amount is higher. The offense created, according to the article, will also encompass the omission to prevent an act of tax evasion. Though broad, the spectrum promises to have a deterrent effect on the players involved in the crime.
Further, the article goes ahead to speak to the future moves that the agencies anticipate about vanquishing the offense. The same entails reparative justice, which involves going after the offenders who have previously participated in the evasion of tax obligations. This final directive might encounter technicality issues due to the principle that laws do not operate retrospectively. However, considering the gravity of the offenses in question, the players, just like other law-abiding citizens, owe a duty to faithfully and honestly remit their taxes.
Source:
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jan/01/hmrc-tax-evasion-enablers-fines