The Taxpayer Protection Taskforce

The Taxpayer Protection Taskforce assembly was announced in the Budget 2021 to tackle frauds and errors related to COVID-19 government support packages. With an investment of over 1250 staff members and £100 million, this task force represents one of the largest responses to a fraud risk by HMRC.

This assembly will raise awareness of enforcement action and discourage fraudulent claims, as well as strengthen law enforcement for Bounce Back Loans. Further investment will be provided to improve the capacity and capability of DWP when tackling welfare fraud and error.

The primary focus will be on CJRS and SEISS grant claims of which it is suspected that 5%-10% of CJRS and 1%-2% SEISS grants are either erroneous or fraudulent.