Last week the Guardian reported that a senior minister, Nadhim Zahawi, has paid a penalty of around £1m to HMRC for being “careless” with his taxes. This might seem galling to those who are spending this month carefully filling out their tax returns, or those who automatically pay their taxes through PAYE.
According to HMRC figures, £6.1bn a year is lost to people “failing to take reasonable care” with their tax returns. Some of this will be caught by the tax authorities, but much of it will go unnoticed.
