Budget Crackdown on Welfare, Tax Avoidance and Covid Fraudsters

2nd November 2024

The government is driving efficiencies and reducing wasteful spending. The Budget sets a 2% productivity, efficiencies and savings target for government departments and has formally launched the Office for Value for Money to realise benefits from every pound of public spending.

The government will shortly appoint a Covid Corruption Commissioner. They will lead work to recover public funds from companies that took unfair advantage of government schemes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government is reforming its approach to welfare, including setting a new welfare cap for 2029-30 with strengthened accountability, to support spending control and ensure that welfare spending is sustainable in the medium term.

Fraud and error in the welfare system costs the government almost £10 billion a year. The government is cracking down on this with a package of measures saving £4.3 billion in 2029-30. The government will set out reforms to health and disability benefits early in 2025 to ensure the system supports people who can work to remain in or start employment, in a way that is fair and fiscally sustainable.

The government is ensuring that tax that is owed is paid by introducing the most ambitious ever package to close the tax gap, raising £6.5 billion in additional tax revenue per year by 2029-30.