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Mark McLaughlin considers HMRC's latest marketing campaign, aimed at people who are deliberately not paying the right amount of tax.

HMRC published a news release on 12 November headed HMRC Closes in on Tax Cheats. This announced "an advertising campaign warning tax cheats to declare all their income before it is too late".

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke, is quoted as saying:

"Most people play by the rules and pay what they owe, but HMRC is cracking down on those who don’t. Using the £917 million the Government has made available to tackle avoidance, evasion and fraud, HMRC is closing in on tax cheats."

It looks like HMRC has spent some of that £917 million on a new website called Sort My Tax and a two-week glossy advertising campaign involving billboards, bus shelters and phone boxes. HMRC has engaged a planning agency (PhD) and a creative agency (M&C Saatchi) for the campaign.

Jennie Granger, HMRC's new Director General, Enforcement and Compliance, had an ominous message for tax evaders:

"The net is closing in. We will detect you if you haven’t put a job through the books, if you haven’t declared investment income, if you’ve hidden assets offshore or if you haven’t even registered for VAT. For these people my message is: ‘please don’t fool yourself that HMRC won’t do anything – it is only a matter of time before we catch up with you."

The billboard image of a pair of staring eyes through a peephole is as ominous as Jennie Granger's message. The image made me feel nervous - and I've paid all my tax!

No doubt that's the general idea - to worry tax evaders into taking positive action. From that perspective, the campaign looks impressive.

Let's hope that the campaign works, and everyone starts paying the right amount of tax, whatever "the right amount" is. Or at the very least, that the yield from this campaign justifies the cost of it.

Best wishes,

Mark McLaughlin

Managing Editor