To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what tax revenue was lost as a result of illegal fuel laundering and smuggling in the UK in each of the last three years.
Answered on
5 November 2015
The latest tax gap figures published by HMRC on 22 October 2015 show that revenue loss from the illicit use of diesel in Great Britain fell from 12% in 2002-03 to less than 1% in 2013-14. In Northern Ireland, where this issue has been a particular problem, the illicit market share has been reduced from 26% to 8% over the same period.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps
HMRC fights fraud on a wide range of fronts, from special units performing thousands of roadside checks to raiding laundering plants. Additionally, the UK has recently implemented an improved marker for rebated fuel, which will make it much harder to launder marked fuel and sell it at a profit.