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<p>HMRC does not hold comprehensive records of criminal convictions of wealthy individuals
prior to 2015. The number of wealthy individuals that have received a criminal conviction
for serious and complex tax crime since 2015 is 27.</p><p> </p><p>In April 2017, HMRC
brought together their High Net Worth Unit and Affluent teams to form a single team
classified as the Wealthy Unit. This organisational change is targeted at promoting
tax compliance and tackling non-compliance across the whole of the wealthy customer
group. These changes will ensure HMRC deploy their specialist, highly skilled resource
on those wealthy individuals that present the highest compliance risk.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC
is committed to ensuring all individuals, including the wealthy, pay the correct tax
when it’s due, and pursues those who fail to meet their tax obligations. HMRC’s dedicated
Wealthy Unit works closely with teams across HMRC to tackle all forms of non-compliance
effectively. Where there is evidence of criminality, HMRC will not hesitate to investigate
those involved with a view to prosecution.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC has a strong track record
of tackling those who have evaded their responsibilities, or those who have facilitated
tax evasion, and is successful in over 90% of prosecutions.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC is
not itself a prosecuting authority. All prosecutions have to be authorised by the
relevant independent prosecuting authority, which for England and Wales would be the
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS); for Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal
Service (COPFS); and for NI, the Public Prosecution Service for NI (PPSNI).</p><p>
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