Income tax fraud on the rise?

Increase in tax and NI Treasury recovers annually

The amount of fraudulently claimed income tax and National Insurance which Treasury manages to recover, has been on the rise over the last three full tax years.

The figures have been revealed in a Tynwald question for written answer from Rushen MHK Juan Watterson, for Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan.

In the year ending 31 March 2016, almost £1.87 million in income tax was recovered, which rose to £3.25 million the following year and just over £5 million the year after that.

The money collected from penalties has risen from £168,000 to £632,000 in that period, while interest has gone up from £602,000 to £860,000.

National Insurance clawed back, has gone up from just shy of £40,000 to more than £127,000.