Ministers are not closed to idea of disclosing their tax details but it is 'not a very near-future thing', says No 10

Downing Street has suggested it is preparing to abandon plans for David Cameron and senior ministers to disclose their tax returns, amid allegations of hypocrisy over the prime minister's decision to comment on Jimmy Carr's tax affairs.

Cameron said in April that he expected information about his finances to be made public, and was relaxed about the prospect. But on Thursday No 10 said there were no current plans to do so.

Privately, senior Tories are concerned that Cameron's comments on Carr, who issued an unreserved apology for using an aggressive tax scheme, were a tactical mistake because they gave journalists a green light to investigate the tax affairs of Conservative ministers, MPs and donors.

The prime minister's spokeswoman said the proposal for ministers to reveal their tax details was still being "looked into". Ministers were "not closed to the idea", but it was "not a very near-future thing", the aide said.

Cameron has refused to comment on the tax affairs of the singer Gary Barlow, a Conservative supporter. Barlow and two other members of the pop group Take That have been accused of investing £26m in a scheme designed to avoid tax.

Cameron's spokeswoman defended his decision to speak out about Carr's tax affairs, in contravention of normal government practice not to comment on individual cases. "The prime minister was expressing what probably lots of people felt after reading the coverage," she said.

However, she refused to comment on Barlow's tax arrangements. "What is important is that everybody pays the taxes that they should do. HMRC are looking into that particular scheme," she said.

Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen, plus their manager, Jonathan Wild, are among 1,000 people who the Times says contributed £480m to 62 music industry partnerships that Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) claim act as tax shelters.

HMRC is attempting to shut down the partnerships, which are overseen by Icebreaker Management Services, according to the Times. Take That's lawyers say the bandmates believed the investments were legitimate enterprises and not schemes designed to avoid tax, and that all four named pay "significant tax". There has been no suggestion of any illegality. The two other Take That members, Robbie Williams and Jason Orange, are not involved in the investments.

A spokesman for Icebreaker denied the partnerships were designed to avoid paying tax, saying they were created to invest money in the music industry for taxable profit. Icebreaker's website says the organisation is "an exciting opportunity to make money from a broad range of knowhow and creative material".

It continues: "Since 2004, Icebreaker has been bringing together investors, entrepreneurs and creative talent. There is a particular emphasis on commercial projects in the creative and technology industries. Income from these projects is shared between the relevant Icebreaker LLP and the companies involved."

Carr apologised after reports he was one of more than 1,000 beneficiaries who sheltered £168m from the taxman each year using a tax scheme called K2. In a series of tweets he said: "I appreciate as a comedian people will expect me to make light of this situation, but I'm not going to in this statement as this is obviously a serious matter.

"I met with a financial advisor and he said to me: 'Do you want to pay less tax? It's totally legal.' I said: 'Yes.' I now realise I've made a terrible error of judgment. Although I've been advised the K2 tax scheme is entirely legal, and has been fully disclosed to HMRC, I'm no longer involved in it and will in future conduct my financial affairs much more responsibly. Apologies to everyone. Jimmy Carr."

Downing Street welcomed the apology. "I think it is obviously welcome," a No 10 spokeswoman said. "HMRC are working hard to investigate the sort of scheme that Jimmy Carr had been reported to be involved in to ensure that they are not aggressively avoiding tax, and, if they are, they are closed down."