Revenue service finds £6m of unpaid tax in 2023

More than £6m of undeclared income and overstated expenses was uncovered by Guernsey's Revenue Service in 2023.

The Revenue Service said an investigation into underpayments resulted in individuals having to make further contributions of between £1,000 and £400,000.

Additional tax contributions, surcharges and penalties amounted to in excess of £2.4m, it said.

The Revenue Service said it appreciated "many people recognise the unfairness" of people who not comply with their tax obligations as it "deprives the island of tax revenue to support public services".

The £6m does not include serious cases of suspected tax fraud, which may have been referred to the island's Economic and Financial Crime Bureau.

The Revenue Service said "most of the population" voluntarily complies with tax payments.

"Paying the right amount of tax at the right time ensures our island community can support the provision of our essential services and the core infrastructure of our community, including health services, education, and many others," they said.

"There is, however, a minority of the tax-paying population who do not comply with their obligations."

The service said it have various civil sanctions which may be applied in "cases of non-compliance", such as penalties and late payment surcharges.

"As well as the additional tax and contributions recovered as a result of investigations this also ensures that the customer is then in a position of ongoing compliance for all future years," it said.

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