The charity TaxWatch has launched a project to enhance public interest in taxation law, Accountancy Daily reports. The purpose of the project is to improve the application of the rule of law in tax administration. The aim is to address concerns that the public interest isn’t being adequately represented in the courts and by regulators.

TaxWatch has described several of its initiatives as ‘ground-breaking’. The project, named Tax and the Rule of Law, takes as its starting point the principle that tax policy can only be fairly developed when the public has straightforward access to the facts. TaxWatch intends to engage in high quality research and advocacy to shed light on the matter.

George Turner, director of TaxWatch, said: ‘We believe that the near universal importance of the tax system to our daily lives means tax policy can only be properly developed when the public have access to clear, independent, and above all accessible information on tax issues and in particular issues of major public concern such as tax avoidance.’

The charity will research ways to hold the HMRC and regulators to account, after raising concerns that professionals had been involved in unethical and unlawful tax practices. They aim to introduce practices which will ensure regulators are playing a full and fair role in preventing underhand activity, and that the public interest is represented.

Turner continues: ‘So much of the discussion on tax has been dominated by small, exclusive communities of tax professionals. Often these individuals are highly conflicted in terms of the interests they represent and have an interest in making tax inaccessible.’

TaxWatch was launched in 2018, to improve public understanding of tax issues. The NGO conducts detailed research and analysis on tax avoidance, tax policy, and tax law. Their mission is to create a public institution which represents the public interest, and inspires high standards of tax conduct and civic responsibility.

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