The Public Accounts Committee has called on ministers to explain why so many people have been “left without a penny” of coronavirus financial support, with MPs giving HMRC six weeks to explain why many freelancers and other excluded groups have not been given greater help. A report from the cross-party group said a lack of certainty over the support schemes has been an issue and argued that “quirks in the tax system” have left some groups of taxpayers excluded from financial support that other taxpayers received throughout the pandemic. Committee chair Meg Hillier warned that “out-of-date tax systems are one of the barriers to getting help to a significant number of struggling taxpayers who should be entitled to support.”
