'˜Prolonged failure' to collect VAT from online sellers

HMRC estimates that online VAT fraud and error cost between £1 billion and £1.5bn in lost tax revenue in 2015-16 alone, according to the findings of a National Audit Office (NAO) investigation.

UK trader groups believe the problem is widespread and that some of the biggest online sellers of particular products such as mobile phone accessories are not charging VAT, the study found.

In 2013, the NAO reported that HMRC had not yet produced a comprehensive plan to respond to the emerging threat to the VAT system posed by online trading.

Trader groups claim that online VAT fraud has been a problem since as early as 2009 and has grown significantly worse in the past five years.

HMRC had not yet been able to assess how much of VAT losses were due to lack of awareness, error or deliberate fraud, according to the NAO’s study.

Amazon and eBay believed much of the problem was down to a lack of awareness on the part of overseas sellers and were focusing on educating traders and providing tools to hep with VAT reporting and compliance.

Meanwhile, HMRC has decided to focus its compliance efforts inland, including on fulfilment houses, rather than at the border.

However, it could not be certain how many fulfilment houses there are in the UK. It estimated the current number at between 500 and 3,000, the report revealed.

There had been no prosecutions for online VAT fraud to date, but civil operations included 279 investigations of businesses and 373 compliance interventions over the past year.

New legal powers introduced by HMRC in September make online marketplaces potentially jointly liable for non-payment of VAT when they have been informed of an issue with a seller.