HMRC head under fire over £10m tax 'gift' for Goldmans

The head of HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is to be quizzed by MPs this afternoon over claims he allowed Goldman Sachs to escape £10m in interest payments on an offshore tax avoidance scheme.

Leaked documents allege that Dave Hartnett, the permanent secretary for tax at HMRC, personally approved the agreement with the Wall Street bank last December. The UK government had been seeking a settlement regarding more than £30m in back taxes it said Goldman owed. Including interest, this amounted to about £40m, according to the Guardian newspaper. However, it is alleged that, thanks to the deal negotiated with Hartnett, Goldman was able to pay just the accrued taxes and avoid the £10m interest payment. HMRC strongly disputes the charges, but Hartnett will be questioned today b...