The taxman made his first appearance on YouTube yesterday in an attempt to increase pressure on savers who have not declared their offshore accounts. Dave Hartnett, HM Revenue & Customs’ Permanent Secretary for Tax, appears in a hard-hitting two-minute video warning that people “fiddling” their taxes could face jail.
It is the first time that HMRC has used social media to communicate with the public. Previously it has run television campaigns to encourage people to file their tax returns on time and to collect their tax credits.
A spokesman said: “We are looking to use social media, alongside more traditional communications to reach as wide an audience as possible. YouTube is clearly a popular platform for brief, to-the-point communications and that is why we have decided to post the video there.”
Mr Hartnett, who masterminded this crackdown on offshore savers, said that his message was “blunt”. “For some people, offshore bank accounts and tax havens typically conjure up images of exotic and faraway places, well out of the reach of the taxman at home,” he said.
“Well, life’s just not like that any more. And here’s a blunt message from HM Revenue and Customs: times have changed. The taxman now has more powers and more information ... If you evade tax on your offshore assets, you’ll be found out and you could be prosecuted.”
He urged savers to take advantage of HMRC’s tax amnesty launched in July this year, which limits the penalties for those who come forward to notify the Revenue before November 30 that they have offshore interests.
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