National Insurance Contributions Bill

I completely understand why the Government want to keep the disclosure regime running parallel with that for income tax. Perhaps this highlights why it would by useful for your Lordships’ House to probe a Finance Bill in more detail than it is allowed to do. I find it rather strange that the Government have taken power for this onerous and contentious disclosure regime, potentially without any parliamentary process, going beyond HMRC. For example, they could designate the Commission in Europe, which would please not many people, or some other body. They could perhaps even outsource the matter to KPMG or PwC for example, without any parliamentary process. I find this a rather extraordinary concept, in the context of the disclosure regime that was set up.