It seems that Blears has made a tax overpayment, if Dave Hartnett's tax assessment of her zero liability for CGT is accurate.Telegraph
"I've got round to asking after Hazel Blears and her cheque, which I mentioned a while back. My query was prompted by an item in the Independent's Pandora diary which claimed she was minded to hand the money over to a charity rather than see it credited to her future tax liabilities. What I've discovered rather increases the pressure on Geoff Hoon and James Purnell, who also face some property/CGT questions.
According to her office, on the day Ms Blears popped up in front of the cameras waving her cheque, she spoke to Dave Hartnett, the permanent secretary for tax at HM Revenue and Customs. Mr Hartnett is, in effect, the country's top tax man. He worked out for her what her capital gains tax liability would have been had she been liable for one. However - this is the crucial bit - he assured her that she was not liable and therefore did not have to pay the cash. Ms Blears, in line with the point she has made that her constituents aren't impressed even if it was legal (no kidding), decided to pay the cash anyway, and was given a special dispensation to do so. The cheque was walked around to HMRC headquarters that evening and handed over to a senior official, who had stayed behind to receive it.
The cheque has been cashed, I'm told by Ms Blears' advisers, and is now sitting in an account at HMRC. What happens to it now is unclear. If it goes into the general Government account and therefore becomes available to pay for hospitals, nuclear weapons, or police uniforms, Ms Blears will be happy. But if HMRC rules that it can only be credited to her by offsetting it against her future liabilities - in effect repaying her the money - she will make an equivalent contribution to a charity.
Which is why all eyes are on Messrs Hoon and Purnell to see how they respond. Ms Blears has set them a precedent."
Tax does have to be taxing.
HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
It's all very well having a pang of conscience: something of an oxymoron with New Labour. Surely, Hartnett, if he is worth his salt, should ask his brave boys to open a full enquiry into Blears' tax affairs: what else would they discover. I am sure an interrogation of the TPI database would yield undisclosed bank accounts, bank interest, and all sorts of juicy material for them to go on.
ReplyDeleteDave Harnett is not in charge of HMRC it is a man called Mike Clasper. Harnett was only temporaily in charge when Paul Gray resigned after the Discs scandal
ReplyDeleteSurely Clasper can clasp some more money by having a full enquiry into Blears ? It is very simple to put a SIP together: Cop Ti, BG, SA Notes, internet, TPI. etc etc. Whoops, I revealed Risk working methods Ha Ha ! Then pass her through to an inspector, and a letter of enquiry to Hazel. Bada Bing as Sonny Corleone would say !
ReplyDeletePerhaps Hazel could be the first recipient of a SIP from the new MPPC system can't wait for that system to crash on it's opening day. Any employees noticed how Mike Clasper barley appears in "The Hotseat"?
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing... Chancellor Darling uses taxpayer's money to employ accountants to avoid tax!!! Whatever next?
ReplyDeletei reached the age of 65 on 17th January 2011, took my state pension about £670.00 per month, Staying on in full employment, becuase I have to.
ReplyDeleteAt 65 I no longer pay any NI which was about £259.00 a month, so thought better take out a life policy as I was saving £259.00 a month, well to cut a very long storey into just a short one.
I have now had 8 different Tax Codes since March 2011, three in just ONE day, and another three this month.
The only changes in my peronal finances, was to car tax on company cars & one very small private pension that was a lump some about £1200.00 & an abual pension of under £200.00.
HMRC Portsmouth have had three letters asking why my tax codes change as frequent as thay do " a bit like our present Governments Policies.
Contact HMRC Portsmount, on make four telephone calls = 117 minutes, three/ four different operators all giving different reasons, one even changed my tax code over the telephone as I was paying 40% tax on my pension, he put it down to 20%, within a few days another tax code arrived, you would think I would be a few pounds better off, Oh NO even more tax to pay.
Prior to my 65th Birthday I was paying around £595.00 per month Tax, now just under £1000.00.
Stress level, well my NHS Doctor, who is absolutly brilliant, virtualy saved my life from Cancer, Princess Hospital Haywards Heath, again brilliant.He is now very concerned about my blood pressed caused by my finances being all over the place.
I have today writen to Watchdog asking for their help.
If any body can advise on how I can get this sorted out please reply.
I do not want to jump at David Cameron regarding his intervention in the re opening of the Mc, Can case.
But will get a letter asking him to sort out the mess HMRC are in.
Tony Hardy, from Haywards Heath, West Sussex
i dont know about everyone else but trying to get your working tax credit processed in the 3 week legal required limited is so untrue its unbeliveable.
Deletei started a new job 6 weeks ago put in my claim for working tax credits after 3 weeks i rang up hmrc spoke to lots of different people just to see how long it would take to get it sorted out.
ive spoken to 8 people so far and all i get is fobbed of and fafted about it takes the piss really,i finally spoke to a lady from hmrc who told me my claim has gone for special checks and it will take god knows how long but the 3week legal requirement dont count anymore,im so sick of having to take time of my job to try and sort this out with hmrc are they going to pay my days wages to me for the time ive had to take of work or the cost it takes to phone them when you ring them and are placed on hold for half hour NO ARE THEY HELL.
i would like advice on how i can sort it without taking anymore time of work and increasing my huge phone bill in the process.
please help required at the end of my preverbialbe rope with hmrc