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1451752

registered interest
date	16/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Tax Avoidance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the revenue that will accrue to the Exchequer from the loan charge.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	141179
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2022 answer text <p>The Loan Charge was announced at Budget 2016 as part of a package of measures to tackle Disguised Remuneration (DR) tax avoidance. The forecast was last revised at Spring Budget 2021. There was an estimated overall Exchequer yield of £3.3 billion for the entire package, including the Loan Charge.</p><p> </p><p>In September 2019, the Government commissioned an Independent Review into the Loan Charge which was led by Lord Morse. The Government accepted 19 of the 20 recommendations made by the review. Changes to the Loan Charge were estimated to reduce the forecast yield. At Budget 2020, the changes were costed as a separate measure, with an estimated reduction to the Exchequer yield of £745 million.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC is committed to continuing to tackle promoters and operators of tax avoidance schemes. This includes challenging the entities and individuals who promote disguised remuneration loan schemes.</p><p> </p><p>Promotion or operation of mass marketed tax avoidance schemes is not in and of itself a criminal offence. However, there are a range of offences which might be committed by those who promote tax avoidance schemes or advise on their use.</p><p> </p><p>On that basis, while to date there have been no prosecutions of individuals directly related to the promotion of schemes subject to the Loan Charge, a number of individuals are currently under criminal investigation by HMRC for offences linked to schemes subject to the Loan Charge.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to schemes subject to the Loan Charge, since 1 April 2016, more than 20 individuals have been convicted for offences relating to arrangements which have been promoted and marketed as tax avoidance, including offences related to DR. These have resulted in over 100 years of custodial sentences, the majority of which relate to promoters.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 141180 question first answered 22/03/2022 17:34:37 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1451753

registered interest
date	16/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Tax Avoidance: Prosecutions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many promoters and operators of schemes subject to the loan charge have been prosecuted for promoting and operating those schemes.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	141180
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2022 answer text <p>The Loan Charge was announced at Budget 2016 as part of a package of measures to tackle Disguised Remuneration (DR) tax avoidance. The forecast was last revised at Spring Budget 2021. There was an estimated overall Exchequer yield of £3.3 billion for the entire package, including the Loan Charge.</p><p> </p><p>In September 2019, the Government commissioned an Independent Review into the Loan Charge which was led by Lord Morse. The Government accepted 19 of the 20 recommendations made by the review. Changes to the Loan Charge were estimated to reduce the forecast yield. At Budget 2020, the changes were costed as a separate measure, with an estimated reduction to the Exchequer yield of £745 million.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC is committed to continuing to tackle promoters and operators of tax avoidance schemes. This includes challenging the entities and individuals who promote disguised remuneration loan schemes.</p><p> </p><p>Promotion or operation of mass marketed tax avoidance schemes is not in and of itself a criminal offence. However, there are a range of offences which might be committed by those who promote tax avoidance schemes or advise on their use.</p><p> </p><p>On that basis, while to date there have been no prosecutions of individuals directly related to the promotion of schemes subject to the Loan Charge, a number of individuals are currently under criminal investigation by HMRC for offences linked to schemes subject to the Loan Charge.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to schemes subject to the Loan Charge, since 1 April 2016, more than 20 individuals have been convicted for offences relating to arrangements which have been promoted and marketed as tax avoidance, including offences related to DR. These have resulted in over 100 years of custodial sentences, the majority of which relate to promoters.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 141179 question first answered 22/03/2022 17:34:37 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1437005

registered interest
date	01/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Energy Bills Rebate
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason local authorities are not able to make the £150 council tax rebate via residents' council tax bills rather than making a direct payment to council tax payers.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	132237
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2022 answer text <p>In most cases the rebate will be delivered as a direct payment. This allows support to be provided up front rather than spread across the usual council tax instalments and means that households that don’t pay council tax are not disadvantaged.</p><p> </p><p>Councils can, however, offer the option of a credit to council tax accounts to non-direct debit holders as part of the claims process. This is intended to help speed up the claims process (and limit the administrative burden on local authorities), and in recognition that not all taxpayers will want to provide payment details where not already held.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 15/03/2022 14:21:08 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1434137

registered interest
date	22/02/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Energy Bills Rebate
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance is available to local authorities on the £150 Council Tax rebate.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	127361
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2022 answer text <p>The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has published guidance to local authorities on administering the council tax rebate. This can be found in the link below:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-council-tax-rebate-2022-23-billing-authority-guidance" target="_blank">The council tax rebate 2022-23 – billing authority guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke grouped question UIN 127362 question first answered 28/02/2022 14:40:05 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1434138

registered interest
date	22/02/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Energy Bills Rebate
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what method local authorities will use to distribute the Council Tax Rebate.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	127362
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2022 answer text <p>The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has published guidance to local authorities on administering the council tax rebate. This can be found in the link below:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-council-tax-rebate-2022-23-billing-authority-guidance" target="_blank">The council tax rebate 2022-23 – billing authority guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke grouped question UIN 127361 question first answered 28/02/2022 14:40:05 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1415817

registered interest
date	24/01/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure people understand the financial consequences of using buy now, pay later services to fund purchases.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	110647
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2022 answer text <p>HM Treasury regularly monitors changes in the consumer credit market as part of the normal process of policy development.</p><p> </p><p>The Woolard Review into the unsecured credit market found several potential risks of consumer detriment from interest-free Buy-Now Pay-Later products, including the absence of information given to consumers about features of Buy-Now Pay-Later agreements. The Government recognises those risks, but also notes that as an interest-free product, Buy-Now Pay-Later can often be lower-risk than other forms of borrowing and a useful tool to help consumers manage their finances. That is why, on 2 February 2021, the Government announced its intention to regulate Buy-Now Pay-Later products in a proportionate manner.</p><p> </p><p>The Government published a consultation on policy proposals for the regulation of Buy-Now Pay-Later on 21 October 2021, which closed on 6 January. The consultation included proposals to apply Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules on pre-contract disclosure and adequate explanations to Buy-Now Pay-Later agreements. These rules require firms to make adequate pre-contractual explanation to ensure the customer is in a position to assess whether the agreement is suitable for their needs and financial situation.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is now reviewing responses to this consultation and considering next steps and intends to publish a consultation response in the spring.</p><p> </p><p>HMT does not hold information regarding the number of 18- to 24-year-olds who have been referred to debt collection agencies by Buy-Now Pay-Later in the last 12 months, or the amount collected in late payment fees by the Buy-Now Pay-Later sector in each of the last three years. Instead, HMT draws on the research of various stakeholders including consumer groups and the wider financial services industry.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen grouped question UIN 110322 110323 110324 110325 110326 question first answered 31/01/2022 16:29:27 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1415988

registered interest
date	24/01/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Personal Care Services: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support the Government has put in place for beauty salons affected by Plan B covid-19 restrictions.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	110327
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2022 answer text <p>In December, Government announced a generous £1 billion package of support for business and their employees to help them manage the effects of the rapid surge of Omicron and bounce back quickly.</p><p> </p><p>The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant scheme, announced on 21 December, is intended to provide targeted support for the food and beverage, accommodation and leisure sectors which offer in-person services. This action was taken to support businesses impacted by the Omicron variant, which led to the public voluntarily restricting their social mixing and reports that many businesses in these sectors had lost 40-60% of their December trade. Personal Care services are not eligible for this scheme.</p><p> </p><p>However, in recognition that other businesses outside the scope of this grant may have been impacted, local authorities in England also received a top-up worth a total of £102 million to their Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) fund. Distribution of ARG funds is at the local authority's discretion.</p><p> </p><p>Due to the balanced and proportionate approach taken by the Government in response to the Omicron variant, Cabinet has decided to return to Plan A in England.</p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 31/01/2022 16:44:38 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon