"While the Treasury and HMRC must, of course, ensure that everyone pays what they owe, and in a timely fashion, I believe there must be an immediate shift in how we treat those who have already been exploited. The government must ensure that victims are protected from further harm. Enforcement action against victims should be suspended immediately, and HMRC should be instructed to utilise its wide-ranging powers of debt forgiveness. Victims should not be pursued for payments they should never have been made liable for in the first place. Rather, the government should direct its resources towards tracking down and holding accountable the perpetrators of these fraudulent schemes and advice, with a concerted effort to recover stolen funds. ”

Sarah Bool MP - Co-Chair of the Investment Fraud Committee, MP representing South Northamptonshire.