No penalties for ‘innocent errors’, says HMRC boss amid Zahawi tax probe

Conservative chairman Nadhim Zahawi has not made an “innocent error” in his tax affairs, the head of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has suggested. Mr Zahawi faces an ethics probe into whether he broke the ministerial code over his £5m tax settlement, after The Independent first revealed he had been subject to a HMRC investigation. The Tory chairman is understood to have a £1m penalty to settle the dispute – claiming that HMRC had judged his tax “error” to have been “careless and not deliberate”. Watch more videos at the Independent TV: https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/editors-picks Click here to subscribe to The Independent: https://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-Independent About The Independent: Making Change Happen. The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking newsbrand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. Connect with The Independent: Check out our full video catalog: https://www.youtube.com/c/theindependent/videos Videos, daily editorial and more: http://www.theindy.com Click here to get the best of The Independent daily: https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Like The Independent on Facebook: https://www.fb.com/TheIndependentOnline Follow The Independent on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Independent Follow The Independent on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.independent Download the iOS & Android app: https://www.independent.co.uk/subscribe/app Help to support truly independent journalism. Every dollar you contribute will directly fund additional special reports and investigations from a free-thinking, award-winning newsroom you can trust - https://www.independent.co.uk/donations Subscribe to Independent Premium for exclusive content & live events: https://bit.ly/2MiOONB