Tax avoiders may be 'named and shamed' by HMRC

The Treasury will announce a crackdown on tax avoidance schemes on Monday in the wake of the row over the tax affairs of the comedian Jimmy Carr.

Promoters of aggressive tax avoidance schemes may be forced to disclose client lists to inspectors, according to David Gauke, the minister with responsibility for tax matters.

It follows revelations about the financial loopholes used by the rich and famous to legally sidestep large tax bills. In one scheme, Carr was paying 1% tax on his income.

The plan, which is going out to consultation, has been greeted with scepticism by Labour. One shadow minister said the Tories were so closely associated with tax avoiders they would not have the political will necessary to change the tax system.

Gauke will tell the Policy Exchange thinktank that scheme operators will be "named and shamed" for sharp practice.

Officials often hit a dead end when investigating schemes that are based offshore but, under the proposals, UK promoters will be made to hand over customer databases. That information will be used to formally warn clients about the deals they have signed up to and to work out how much the amount of tax they would owe if the scheme failed.

Under the reforms, a promoter who has been penalised for not complying with the rules will also have to provide extra information to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on all of their schemes, not just the one they were reprimanded for.

Gauke will say: "We are building on the work we have already done to make life difficult for those who artificially and aggressively reduce their tax bill.

These schemes damage our ability to fund public services and provide support to those who need it. They harm businesses by distorting competition. They damage public confidence and they undermine the actions of the vast majority of taxpayers, who pay more in tax as a consequence of others enjoying a free ride."

HMRC is also looking at formally requiring individuals, as well as firms, to comply with the rules, which would help it when a firm is dissolved or moved offshore, or an individual promoter moves from firm to firm.

Last month, Carr found himself at the centre of criticism about K2, a legal scheme that allows its members to pay income tax of as little as 1%.

Carr, 39, reportedly used the scheme to shelter £3.3m a year, channelling money from DVD sales and television appearances into a company that gave him back "loans" which are not subject to tax. The comedian later apologised for his "terrible error of judgment" in using a tax avoidance scheme.

Gauke's announcement at Policy Exchange comes a day after one of the thinktank's trustees was disclosed to have been involved in an aggressive tax avoidance scheme. The Mail on Sunday reported that Conservative donor George Robinson had been ordered to pay back millions of pounds in tax after a judge ruled against the tax scheme.

Simon Danczuk, the Labour MP for Rochdale, said: "It tells you everything you need to know about this government that ministers have chosen to give a speech on tax avoidance at an organisation whose trustee, the Conservative donor George Robinson, has just been found to have used an offshore avoidance scheme and had to pay back millions of pounds.

"With billions of pounds estimated to be lost each year, this government is failing to tackle tax avoidance, while also giving a tax cut to millionaires. How can it be fair to cut taxes for the very richest while ordinary families, pensioners and businesses are feeling the brunt of this double-dip recession?" he said.

Tax avoidance represents nearly 14% of the UK tax gap, according to the Treasury.