Tax lawyers and leading industry figures are being called before the House of Lords Sub-Committee on the 2013 Finance Bill next week, to discuss their views on tax avoidance measures in light of plans to introduce a General Anti-Abuse Rule (GAAR) this year.

First to appear before the two scheduled evidence sessions are leading QCs, Graham Aaronson QC, tax barrister and leader of the GAAR (General Anti-Abuse Rule) study group 2011, and Malcolm Gammie QC, tax barrister and member of the IFS Tax Law Review Committee. Both have been instrumental in driving government efforts to reduce tax avoidance. This session will be held on Monday 21 January at 2.30pm.

The second session on 23 January will focus more on tax practitioners and technical experts with Patrick Stevens, president of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT), Bill Dodwell, head of tax policy at Deloitte and vice chairman of the CIOT Technical Committee and Richard Murphy, head of Tax Research LLP and a vociferous critic of corporation tax avoidance.

The committee will focus on the theme of dealing with the avoidance of tax. It will look in detail at the new GAAR and try to identify how effective it is likely to be in addressing various types of tax avoidance recently highlighted in the media.

The second session is scheduled for 23 January at 15.35.

The Committee's questions to the witnesses will focus on whether the GAAR measures will meet their objectives and to what extent they will deal with the sorts of corporate and individual tax minimising arrangements which have received significant media attention and public outcry in recent months.

The deadline for written evidence from all interested parties is 28 January.