Press release - 13 February 2015 17:12

HMRC statement on French Finance Minister remarks

An HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) spokesperson said:

"As the French Finance Minister confirmed, there were strict conditions under the terms of the agreement about the use of the HSBC Suisse data that the French tax authority shared with HMRC.

"Our records show that, since 2010, we have asked the French on several occasions for permission to use the data for purposes wider than tax, for example, money laundering, but until recently had not received their agreement.

"As the data is now in the public domain, they have confirmed that they will provide all assistance necessary to us. We are awaiting their formal written confirmation that they will alter the conditions to allow its wider use by HMRC and have started discussions with other law enforcement agencies about exploiting it."

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Issued by HM Revenue & Customs Press Office

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is the UK’s tax authority.

HMRC is responsible for making sure that the money is available to fund the UK’s public services and for helping families and individuals with targeted financial support.

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