MPs want action on NI fuel fraud

[Agent Orange]

A committee of MPs has said it is disappointed at the lack of progress on new measures to tackle fuel fraud in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee said customs officials should work harder to acquire new technology.

This is to prevent red diesel from being sold illegally by paramilitaries and criminal gangs.

The report comes after the committee heard evidence from a series of witnesses at Westminster.

Laurence Robertson, chairman of the committee, said it was "bitterly disappointed at the seemingly slow pace of progress on acquiring effective technologies to tackle fuel crime".

He wants Revenue and Customs officials to acquire the latest "rebated fuel marker technology" as soon as possible, begin a pilot scheme and report back to the committee before the summer.

In the latest report, the committee said it recognised the commitment and effort of individual HMRC officers in the fight against fuel crime in Northern Ireland.

However, Mr Robertson said: "It should make a more concerted effort to eradicate the problem in Northern Ireland, where it is most prevalent".

Northern Ireland is estimated to have lost £70m in tax revenue due to fuel fraud in 2009/10, down from £250m five years ago.

Mr Robertson said only four people had received a custodial sentence in Northern Ireland when convicted in connection with fuel laundering.

"It is a serious crime. It affects the environment, it affects health and there is the tax evasion element as well," he said.

"We want to see sentencing guidelines, robust guidelines.

"There is a tendency to think it is only the tax man who loses out. It isn't, it's schools and hospitals. It isn't a victimless crime."

Sinn Fein councillor for Newry and Mourne Terry Hearty agreed.

"This has a serious cost on local councils and local councils pick up the tab for it," he said.

"In the last year we have paid out between £80,000 and £100,000 to lift some of the residue.

"There's a site at Cullaville that hasn't been touched yet, but it's going to cost in the region of £40,000 to clear away.

"So the rate payers of Newry and Mourne would definitely see it as a serious crime."

[Agent Orange]

Would the simple solution not be to stop selling markes gas oil on both sides of the border? Get farmers to buy their diesel at the pump and claim back the VAT. QED.

[Billys Boots]

That is an outrage - asking farmers to register for tax (even if only for reclamation of VAT).  Whatever next?

[Rossfan]

Asking them to pay tax ... or for anything 

[charlieTully]

Would the simple solution not be to stop selling markes gas oil on both sides of the border? Get farmers to buy their diesel at the pump and claim back the VAT. QED.

or maybe lower fuel prices so they are affordable and people would no longer need to use illegal fuel. five years ago it was 86p for a litre of petrol, now 1.45.

[Billys Boots]

Would the simple solution not be to stop selling markes gas oil on both sides of the border? Get farmers to buy their diesel at the pump and claim back the VAT. QED.

or maybe lower fuel prices so they are affordable and people would no longer need to use illegal fuel. five years ago it was 86p for a litre of petrol, now 1.45.

They used illegal fuel five years ago too!

[armaghniac]

Would the simple solution not be to stop selling markes gas oil on both sides of the border? Get farmers to buy their diesel at the pump and claim back the VAT. QED.

This seems to be to be the cure. I suspect heating oil is also a problem though.

[charlieTully]

Would the simple solution not be to stop selling markes gas oil on both sides of the border? Get farmers to buy their diesel at the pump and claim back the VAT. QED.

or maybe lower fuel prices so they are affordable and people would no longer need to use illegal fuel. five years ago it was 86p for a litre of petrol, now 1.45.

i would bet there are a lot more doing it now though.
They used illegal fuel five years ago too!

[haranguerer]

Would the simple solution not be to stop selling markes gas oil on both sides of the border? Get farmers to buy their diesel at the pump and claim back the VAT. QED.

This seems to be to be the cure. I suspect heating oil is also a problem though.

If it was viable they'd have done it. Administrative nightmare, and would cost an absolute fortune to police, and they'd never be able to police it properly. I think you'd find that any complaints from farmers about bringing it in would die down fairly quickly...

[EC Unique]

Would the simple solution not be to stop selling markes gas oil on both sides of the border? Get farmers to buy their diesel at the pump and claim back the VAT. QED.

This seems to be to be the cure. I suspect heating oil is also a problem though.

Yep. People are running diesel cars on home heating oil. Not good for the engine but will work...for a while.

[Tony Baloney]

I just paid 150.0 per litre for diesel 

[armaghniac]

Administrative nightmare, and would cost an absolute fortune to police,

No it wouldn't. Farmers could get an allowance of diesel based on size of farm as reported in the agricultural reporting and that would be that. They might use more, tough, or less in which case they'd save a few bob.

Heating oil is a bigger problem, I imagine.

I'd still change things though, having two sorts of road diesel is nonsense.
One part of the problem is that Stormont cannot change this themselves and London probably doesn't care. If Stormont had control of oil revenue I'd say that the minister would be on the phone to Dublin in short order.

[trileacman]

Administrative nightmare, and would cost an absolute fortune to police,

No it wouldn't. Farmers could get an allowance of diesel based on size of farm as reported in the agricultural reporting and that would be that. They might use more, tough, or less in which case they'd save a few bob.

And how would you prove what one agricultural limit was compared to the next? A farm with 40 acres and a fleet of diggers and harvesting equipment will use more than a farm with 100 acres with little machinery. And if you think of putting an allowance to a particular machine then what about one which works for 10 hours a day against one that only does a few hours a week? Wouldn't work and if it was forced upon the economy there would have to be a serious amount of leeway and lax administration to get it to balance up. And with lax administration would come abuse of the system and fraudulent cases.

After all that the farmers would simply just buy the clear diesel, sell it to the motorists at a discount and continue to f**k the exchequer.

[trileacman]

In my reckoning, this a problem for Westminster and, in all seriousness, f**k them. Disappointed to see SF wade in behind MP's and the Crown to give support to a country that doesn't give a f**k about us and whose outstanding legacy in Ireland is one of theft, abuse and genocide.

If Westminster has a problem with people dodging tax in NI then they should be told we have a problem with a government who waged war upon the ideals of equality and freedom and today still continues to do so in the Middle East.

A crime against the British government is no crime at all.

[haranguerer]

Administrative nightmare, and would cost an absolute fortune to police,

No it wouldn't. Farmers could get an allowance of diesel based on size of farm as reported in the agricultural reporting and that would be that. They might use more, tough, or less in which case they'd save a few bob.

Thats just ludicrous