Background Note
7.The Department for Transport (DfT) and its agency the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) require information that HMRC holds about heavy goods vehicles. This information is needed to implement a levy on UK and foreign hauliers, although UK hauliers will have their levy offset by a reduction in Vehicle Excise Duty. The information needed is held on the Freight Targeting System (FTS).
8.HMRC agreed to provide the information to DfT and VOSA by creating a legal gateway in a statutory instrument utilising powers contained in the HGVA. Those powers did not however enable the creation of a criminal offence for wrongful disclosure of identifying information so this was not provided for. Therefore, this section has been included in Finance Act 2014 amending the HGVA. This section ensures that taxpayer confidentiality continues to be safeguarded with the addition of a criminal sanction, as detailed in section 19 CRCA.