The taxman has called on the BBC and the Guardian to hand over information from the Paradise Papers to allow suspected tax dodgers to be investigated.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) heard rumours of a leak months ago and wrote to the broadcaster and newspaper, as well as the investigative team behind it, two weeks ago asking for the details.
Taxpayers were left out of pocket after the department was forced to pay for data contained in the last high-profile leak, the the Panama Papers, MPs were told.
HMRC’s top civil servant, Jon Thompson, said the BBC, the Guardian and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) had been sent letters asking for the information in the Paradise Papers.
“In relation to the BBC and Guardian, we would like the information, we will continue to request it,” he told the Public Accounts Committee.
“They are making a decision to not give it to us. We would obviously like it.
“We would like it to be provided to us so we can investigate whether there is any tax evasion.”
Mr Thompson said there was “potentially one case” identified in the Paradise Papers that HMRC was not previously aware of but told MPs he was not able to identify who that related to.
David Cameron launched a taskforce, led by HMRC and the National Crime Agency, in April 2016 to “deal with any wrongdoing” relating to the Panama Papers.
Mr Thompson told the committee the department paid for information about the leak but he would have to take legal advice before revealing how much.
He said: “It was not passed to us freely. We obtained it but not from the ICIJ.
“We are allowed to make a payment to obtain data in certain circumstances.”
Earlier, Meg Hillier, chair of the committee called on HMRC to investigate claims of tax avoidance from the Paradise Papers.
She said: “British taxpayers will be rightly outraged by the content of these disclosures. Every pound moved offshore to avoid paying tax deprives public services of vital funds.
“The government talks tough about clamping down on aggressive tax avoidance but once again we see HM Revenue and Customs being out-manoeuvred. HMRC must investigate the very worrying allegations arising from this leak.
“These transactions are taking place behind a veil of secrecy and, whether they are legal or not, we have a duty to contribute to public services through our taxes.”
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