Police anger as officers face tax on pursuit cars

HUNDREDS of undercover police officers have been hit by a ‘shameful’ tax on the unmarked vehicles they use to track and chase terrorists and gangsters.

The elite officers have received bills of up to £5,000 after Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) ruled the high-powered cars and motorbikes they drive in their dangerous roles should be taxed as company cars.

Critics have branded the move ‘ridiculous’ and ‘shameful’, while the Police Federation – representing rank and file officers – and the National Police Chiefs’ Council, say the tax could damage national security.

Undercover operatives often take their vehicles home so they can respond faster to emergency call-outs. To date, they have only been taxed on their personal mileage outside working hours, but now HMRC is demanding a levy based on the vehicles’ retail value and CO2 emissions – the same as company cars.

Last night, an officer from the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime and Operations branch who used his vehicle to respond to the IS attack on London Bridge in June, said: ‘I’m on a £40,000 salary, so there’s no way I can pay £5,000 in company vehicle tax to HMRC.

An HMRC spokesman said: ‘No police officer will incur tax when they just use the vehicle for work. Tax can only be payable when it’s made available for private reasons.’