HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is planning to crack down on restaurants and caterers because of tax evasion. The tax authorities calculate that together with the hotel industry, they are avoiding paying £1bn in VAT each year. The crackdown would come in the wake of HMRC's botched “Operation Gourmet” which tried to collect unpaid national insurance contributions on waiters' tips. The British Hospitality Association said it was disturbed the government spent more time chasing after taxes than investing in the sector. The Daily Telegraph 15/04/06 page 31