Under-fire tax chief's £10,000 expenses bill for extravagant transatlantic trips

The under-fire boss is retiring early after receiving fierce criticism over his involvement in signing off a deal that saved Goldman Sachs, one of the world’s richest banks, up to £20 million in tax. 

 
The 60-year-old has also been accused of overseeing a decision to let Vodafone off as much as £7 billion, which the mobile phones giant was claimed to owe the public purse.

Last month, MPs said tax chiefs’ ‘cosy’ relationship with big business had led them to let corporate giants off tax bills of up to £25 billion.

Despite the accusations, Mr Hartnett last year claimed £2,951 for a trip to Florida and Panama, during which he was wined and dined by some of the world’s largest companies.

In return, the tax boss delivered a 40-minute presentation on UK tax policy at a two-day conference sponsored by KPMG, one of the biggest international accountancy concerns.