I see that Lesley Strahtie (CEO of HMRC) has been made Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath, in the Queen's birthday honours list over the weekend.
Given that HMRC is bottom of the league of civil service departments, as judged by its own staff, and given that the taxpayers ("customers" as Ms Strathie prefers to call them) are none too impressed either with HMRC; I am somewhat at a loss to understand why she has been made a Dame.
Can anyone provide an explanation?
On the face of it this appears to be rewarding failure.
Tax does have to be taxing.
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The Queen must be about to do her self assessment return.
ReplyDeleteNothing new there Ken! The bigwigs here at HMRC are routinely rewarded for fucking things up. Bear in mind that David 'Reg' Varney got a knighthood for doing the very same!
ReplyDeleteWhat amazes me is that there are only two comments about this, the disbelief in our office today about this news was something else.
ReplyDeleteYou could almost taste the anger that the award was given
She kissed New Labours Arse.
ReplyDeleteI assumed it was all quite around here because all HMRC staff where at the party celebrating her award!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThat some-one who has presided over HMRC coming 96th out 96th in the Government agencies staff survey is given this award beggars belief.
ReplyDeleteHowever maybe it is a reward for upsetting the staff to such an extent, and the political masters hate civil servants so much this is them saying "Well done" to her for that.
I was told by a senior member of HMRC that former members of HMRC - at the highest levels - had undeclared income from off-shore accounts - if so how can HMRC defend not prosecuting them? Will someone in HMRC blow the whistle?
ReplyDeleteStrathie slipped up in her interview with Anne Robinson - she said the word "taxpayer"! Admittedly it was only once against several misuses of the word "customer" during her rather weak defence of HMRC. I slipped up myself once and used the word "customer" to an irate self - employed person. "Oh - I get it. You mean like Dick Turpin's customers" he said, after he'd finished shredding me. The idiots who promote the use of the word "customers" always use the stupid argument that not everyone is a taxpayer. The first time a child spends pocket money in a sweet shop he or she becomes - a taxpayer!
ReplyDeleteOh well we can rest easy in the fact that Reg Varney got his then got kicked out so in 6 months we will all be saying bye bye to the Strath!
ReplyDeleteOn watchdog Leslie Strathie failed to mention if you complain to HMRC and dont like the response you can in fact contact your MP or the ombudsman to take it further, cant imagine why she didnt mention it on national TV.
ReplyDeleteShe could also have admitted the new computer system that issue codes like a terminator ignoring whatever information advisors put on the system DOESNT WORK. Thus improving her popularity with her workforce by 100 percent. I'm sure at least 1 person would change their opinion.
But no, she says it works fine continues to issue directives that staff must say the same thing or else.