David Anthony Hartnett CB (born (1951-02-25)25 February 1951) is a former British civil servant who served as the Permanent Secretary for Tax at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) until his retirement in July 2012.
In September 2010, 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.
In May 2011 Private Eye alleged Hartnett personally "shook hands" on a deal over a long-running tax avoidance dispute with Goldman Sachs dating back to 2002, without consulting HMRC lawyers, letting the US bank off around £10m in interest.
[12] Complaints from HMRC informants that Hartnett personally intervened in settlement cases and agreed to "sweetheart deals" with no explanation or consultation with lawyers have also been published.
[14] 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.
Several activists had donned evening dress and name badges to indicate that they were from Vodafone and Goldman Sachs, and effused over Hartnett's help in saving those companies billions of pounds in taxes.
[18][19] 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.