蜜芽传媒

Senior HMRC tax inspector, Tony Wallace, said the general public dont "appreciate" complex tax issues, after allegations that HSBC helped clients at its Swiss private bank avoid paying tax.

Although he doesn't speak on behalf of the HMRC as a whole, Mr Wallace is the president of the Association of Revenue and Customs - a union that represents staff there.

He said that investigating tax avoidance cases takes "serious technical skills" but the process can go on "for years".

Mr Wallace said the continuos bashing of the HMRC is "corrosive to society" and that politicians saying that everyone avoids tax is "very frustrating".

This clip is originally from 5 live Drive on Friday 13 February 2014.