Michael Izza (CEO of the ICAEW) has made some pre budget comments/suggestions about HMRC's service levels etc.
He notes, quite correctly, that HMRC’s poor levels of service create a regulatory burden that impacts disproportionately on SMEs.
He recommends, quite correctly, that the government needs to show support for HMRC’s attempts to improve standards and ensure that HMRC’s board and new senior management are accountable for maintaining progress.
He stated:
"Every extra hour that a small business spends dealing with HMRC is an hour that could be invested in growth. Poor levels of service at HMRC create a burden on businesses of all sizes, especially SMEs.
Even HMRC has admitted that it does not have enough people with the right skills in the right place. Government must ensure that it gives HMRC the resources it needs to collect tax and support business.”
All very true.
Therefore I would ask the question, why did the government appoint Lin Homer as CEO of HMRC?
Based on her track record in previous roles, and her lack of knowledge of tax, one might almost believe that the government wants to see her and HMRC fail.
Tax does have to be taxing.
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I don't think that even doubling the staff levels would improve the service. Without the correct calibre of staff, training and procedures the service will always be bad.
ReplyDeleteService levels will improve soon because when Tax Credits is replaced by Universal Benefit there will be a large percentage of people not calling HMRC anymore therefore the telephone lines will be answered and the Enquiry Centres eventually.
ReplyDeleteSo HMRC can then claim the percentage of calls answered has improved dramatically and that things are great.
It is all in the planning just another year and a half then we can tell tax credit customers to goto DWP.
sorry above should have "closed" after eventually.
ReplyDeleteMost of HMRC Management, not just Lin Homer, cannot manage and are not being held to account. Each scratching each others back for a bonus!!
ReplyDeleteLin Homer has fucked up everywhere else she was in charge of so i totally agree with you Ken the woman is being set up to fail. Then they will start to privatise HMRC bit by bit (already starting in contact centres). HMRC is destined to fail and nobody in power cares enough to challenge the ineptitude of those in charge.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that privatisation would not work, nor be politically feasible.
DeleteHowever, I wonder (and I may well be 100% wrong) if the "plan" is to "fail with Lin"; so that the splitting of Customs and Revenue is presented as the only solution (ie HMRC is shown to be unmanageable in its present form).."back to the future".
Views always welcome?
I totally agree with you Ken privatisation would be wrong. The tax system is a disaster; it totally lost direction with the birth of HMRC. I would love to see the return of Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise, as two separate bodies, but I fear it is too late. All of the training now is based around pacesetter, the excellent IT systems have been scrapped (instead of updating them) The number of knowledgeable staff is diminishing daily. Even the old CPSA union had a lot more balls than the PCS. No hope. And then we get Ms Homer…….
DeleteIf the plan is to make HMRC so incompetent that we'll all cry out for privatisation, Homer is an ideal useful idiot.
ReplyDelete"If the plan is to make HMRC so incompetent that we'll all cry out for privatisation"
ReplyDeleteWell past calling that out already.
Careful what you wish for
Delete