High Court dismisses UK Uncut claim

The High Court has dismissed the UK Uncut claim in the judicial review of HMRC’s settlement with Goldman Sachs. Jim Harra, HMRC’s director general for business tax, welcomed the ‘comprehensive dismissal’, saying it ‘puts to rest the fallacy that HMRC is soft on large businesses.’

In a statement, Harra said: ‘The High Court’s judgment confirms what HMRC has always said: that while we made errors in settling the Goldman Sachs dispute, we made the right settlement in the circumstances, and that our decision was both proper and lawful. In its definitive judgment, the High Court has now drawn a line under the Goldman Sachs issue. HMRC can now get on with the critical job of working to ensure that all individuals and companies, big and small, pay the tax they owe to fund the UK’s essential public services.’

However, UK Uncut said: ‘While we didn’t win the case, the judge’s ruling that top HMRC officials played politics with major tax deals to protect Osborne’s reputation is a major victory in exposing the truth behind these secret deals.’