David Anthony Hartnett CB was born on 25 February 1951 and is a former British civil servant who served as the Permanent Secretary for Tax at HM Revenue and Customs until his retirement in July 2012.
14 Facts About Dave Hartnett
1.
2.
Dave Hartnett studied Classics at the University of Birmingham, graduating in 1973.
3.
Dave Hartnett was one of Her Majesty's Commissioners of Revenue and Customs, the formal governing board of HMRC, from the board's creation in 2005 until his retirement, having previously been a board member of the Inland Revenue.
4.
When Paul Gray resigned as chairman following the loss of the Child Benefit database, Dave Hartnett took over the post in an acting capacity.
5.
In May 2013, Dave Hartnett became a consultant to the tax firm Deloitte.
6.
From 2014 to 2023, Dave Hartnett was a member of the board of governors at St Mary's University.
7.
In September 2010, Dave Hartnett was widely criticised for refusing to apologise for the HMRC issue which involved millions of people being required to pay due but uncollected tax.
8.
Complaints from HMRC informants that Dave Hartnett personally intervened in settlement cases and agreed to "sweetheart deals" with no explanation or consultation with lawyers have been published.
9.
Dave Hartnett was presented by activists from UK Uncut with a spoof "Golden Handshake award" at a dinner in New College, Oxford honouring his retirement in September 2012.
10.
Several activists had donned evening dress and name badges to indicate that they were from Vodafone and Goldman Sachs, and effused over Dave Hartnett's help in saving those companies billions of pounds in taxes.
11.
Dave Hartnett was named by City University London in July 2010 as the most "wined and dined" civil servant in Britain, having been treated to corporate hospitality 107 times over a period of three years.
12.
Dave Hartnett stated that his approach to tax disputes with large corporations was "handling disputes in a non-confrontational way and collaborating with customers wherever possible".
13.
Dave Hartnett was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2003 New Year Honours.
14.
In 1977, Dave Hartnett married Aileen Patricia Mary O'Dempsey; the couple have three children.