VATF21000 - What is VAT fraud?: introduction

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VAT fraud covers a wide array of different types of fraud using both goods and services, including:

The above list is not exhaustive.

By far and away the largest fraud to have been undertaken was MTIC fraud (more recently known as Supply Chain fraud). HMRC has estimated that MTIC fraud cost the UK exchequer:

MTIC Fraud 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10
Attempted fraud (拢bn) Upper bound 5.0 4.0 2.0 2.0 2.0
Attempted fraud (拢bn) Lower bound 4.0 3.0 0.5 1.0 1.0
Impact on VAT receipts (拢bn) Upper bound 3.5 2.5 2.0 2.0 1.5
Impact on VAT receipts (拢bn) Lower bound 2.5 1.5 0.5 1.0 0.5

The figures for MTIC fraud are published annually in the 鈥楳easuring Tax Gaps鈥� publication, which can be found on the . HMRC no longer publishes a separate MTIC/Supply Chain fraud estimate.

聽With the estimate now below 拢0.5bn, it is now not separately identifed.

These losses represented a significant depletion of the revenues which are provided by UK taxable persons.

This and the following sections discuss:

  • what VAT fraud is (VATF22000);
  • some different examples of VAT fraud (VATF23000);
  • what to consider prior to using an intervention (VATF30000);
  • what interventions are available to you if you discover VAT fraud (VATF40000 and VATF50000);
  • indicators of contrivance (VATF60000);
  • why due diligence and risk assessments are important (VATF70000);
  • what to do if you discover VAT fraud (VATF80000); and
  • what to do if the taxable person appeals (VATF90000).