Member

Illegality undermines legitimate traders and corrodes confidence, at a time when the UK’s tax gap remains at a stubbornly high £40 billion or so. That is tens of billions of pounds that should be collected each year, but simply is not. It is tens of billions of pounds that could fund schools, hospitals and policing. It is tens of billions of pounds that, when uncollected, shifts the burden on to those who do play by the rules. That is why I welcomed the Chancellor’s announcement of the high streets illegality taskforce in last year’s Budget.