HMRC criticised for using terror laws against tax whistleblower | Politics. Margarte Hodge asked for assurances that HMRC would 'never again use these powers on a whistleblower'. Photograph: Reuters Tv/Reuters MPs have criticised Britain's leading tax official after HM Revenue & Customs used powers meant to catch terrorists to hunt down an employee who exposed a secret multimillion-pound "sweetheart" deal with Goldman Sachs. Lin Homer, the chief executive of HMRC, had told the public accounts committee that phone records had been obtained using the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa) to unearth information about Osita Mba, an in-house lawyer. Margaret Hodge, the chair of the committee, said that HMRC's use of the powers, ostensibly to track down whether Mba had been talking to the Guardian's then investigations editor, David Leigh, had "shocked her to her bones".
The MP told Homer she was particularly surprised "that you made a request under Ripa, which is there to deal with terrorism". Myret Zaki répond à nos questions en vue d'une potentielle nouvelle conférence avec Etienne Chouard. Leah McGrath Goodman — Author, Historian and Investigative Journalist. Leah McGrath Goodman Exclusive. Cheers Are Few as Dow Jones Average Hits Milestone. Play video By Channon Hodge, Ben Werschkul, David Gillen and Pedro Rafael Rosado Trading Hits a High: The Times's Peter Lattman on what's behind a record moment for the Dow Jones industrial average.
The oldest and most popular gauge of the stock market on Tuesday surged past the nominal high it last reached more than five years ago, before the financial crisis hit with full force. In the past, such a recovery would have led to celebrations on Wall Street and spread optimism about the economy. Wall Street executives were not dismissing the rally out of hand, but after several years of turbulence they were not cracking open the Champagne either. “The market reflects an improving economy in the U.S. and abroad,” said James P. It has taken nearly five and half years for the Dow to get this far.
Ordinary investors, who have largely sat on the sidelines of the market, will be asking themselves whether it is time to start investing in stocks again, given the gains that have taken place.