New research from the GPA has highlighted those sectors that have been most heavily penalised for deliberately lying about the amount of tax they owe, as HM Revenue & Customs dishes out £22m for deliberate tax defaulting.

According to the latest figures published by HMRC, almost £22m worth of penalties have been dished out to UK companies for deliberately lying about their tax affairs.

The sector that accounts for the largest share is the Digital Services & Content industry within which companies have been fined £4.3m for deliberately defaulting on tax returns.

The Property industry, including property development, has been fined £2.5m, followed by Supply Chain & Wholesale Trade (£2.3m), Construction Services including Trades and Engineering (£2.1m) and the Agricultural Industry with Fishing & Farming (£2m).

The other sectors to have been fined more than £1m are Logistics, Courier Services & Transportation Services (£1.9m), Waste Management & Recycling Services (£1.4m), Income – Trusts (£1.35m) and the Hospitality & Food Industry (£1.3m).

HMRC’s list of tax defaulters also reveals that individuals working in basic occupations such as builders, delivery driver, bricklayers, roofers and labourers are responsible for taxes and penalties in the tens of thousands of pounds.

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