Treasury must urgently explain plans to sell taxpayers' details, says Labour
The Treasury must urgently explain its plans to allow HM Revenue and Customs to sell the personal data of millions of taxpayers to private companies, Labour has said.
The call comes after the Guardian revealed that ministers were planning to change the law to allow the sharing of anonymised data with third parties, where there is a public benefit. They are currently examining charging options.
Critics fear that the data could include details about income, tax arrangements and payment history and would carry a risk that people could be identified. Even the perception that this could happen might lead to a breakdown in trust between HMRC and taxpayers, the Chartered Institute of Taxation warned.
Shabana Mahmood, the shadow exchequer secretary, has now waded into the debate, calling on the Treasury "to explain urgently if such a programme exists and if so what its purpose is".
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/apr/20/treasury-plans-sell-taxpayers-details-labour