Thursday 5 June 2014

Open Thread


I will not have access to Blogger for the coming week folks, so please feel free to use this as an open thread to talk about and debate HMRC related issues/concerns (in a polite and civilised fashion).


Tax does have to be taxing.

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18 comments:

  1. HMRC a world class leader earing the respect of peers within the fields of law enforcement, judiciary and associated professions for its high ethical, moral and legal standards paricularly in the fields of customer service, information security and equality treatment of employees and customers alike.
    An organisation with a long history of quality leadership drawn from those with broad base experience in the public sector leading premier city councils, national agencies and authorities. A senior management team renowned for its abilities to deliver consistently, no matter the challenges, it is regarded by its employees so highly for engagement that it's performance in national staff reviews is considered so impactive it is held up as a universal exemplar for others to learn.
    Long regarded for its phenomenal records in call handling times and quality, combined with a broad based post handling system, HMRC may well be regarded as the premier public sector organisation and adherent to the well respected Pacesetters or Lean philosophies of the manufacturing sector.
    Discuss.

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  2. Just put not in front of every statement and job sorted...

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  3. Anyone know what has happened to Osita Mba?
    Has he accepted a settlement, is he still in the country, is he OK?
    This guy has been a brave whistleblower who was not afraid to stand up for his principles and standards. It's a pity there are so few like him in HTC, perhaps then the NAO and "dear old Amyas" may not have been hoodwinked so well!
    Damn cupboards so full of skeletons HMRC now having to rent shipping containers to store bones in!

    "Never believe all that you read on the Internet. .."
    Abraham Lincoln

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  4. ECONOMIA reports;

    HMRC service standards continue to disappoint
    10 June 2014

    HMRC may have improved its service standards since they hit rock bottom three years ago but they are still not at acceptable levels, ICAEW has told exchequer secretary David Gauke
    - See more at: http://economia.icaew.com/news/june-2014/hmrc-service-standards-continue-to-disappoint#sthash.Ghaf0me1.dpuf

    worth a read, between the lines that is!

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  5. Blogger taken one of those voluntary exit packages ??

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  6. EYE EYE?

    An article from p.29 of the current issue of Private Eye is well worth perusing, if you believe that HMRC is economical with the truth, figures, statistics or anything else!

    "Revenue Protected" has previously been referred to as a somewhat ethereal concept and an FOI response supports this contention as it has now been shown that "...HMRC inflates the figures with so much wishful thinking...that it includes up to five years' hoped-for future tax payments in its 'revenue protected' figures".

    Creative accounting or what? Does make you wonder if there is a fiscal model for "revenue lost" or whether they still use chicken gizzards or rune stones!

    The article whilst short is well researched and alludes to further creativity with regard to statistics, but that's not new for HMRC.

    The old adage of its not yours till the money is in the bank still holds true, but if your performance targets include "revenue protected" amounts, well, as Rumpole would state " I rest my case".

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  7. Everybody out..........
    From the PCS website
    Rolling strike action called in HMRC

    PCS members in HMRC have been pushed to breaking point. Despite our best efforts to get HMRC to see sense they are continuing with their despised Performance Management system, office closure plans, privatisation and job cuts agenda. And now they are going after banked and anticipated leave – what’s next?

    Under the leadership of Lin Homer and William Hague HMRC are criticised constantly in the press and in parliament. Their heartless decision to close 281 Enquiry Centres affecting millions of tax payers every year – mainly pensioners and vulnerable workers – clearly shows their contempt for key, local public services. They want to hive things off to the private sector and have learned no lessons from the defunct private sector trial they ran in contact centres which proved the public sector is far more efficient.

    HMRCs latest ‘bright idea’ to flexibly resource workers into contact centres to mask a staffing crisis of their making is a slap in the face to hard working civil servants everywhere. Instead - they should be arguing for extra investment in jobs and resources in HMRC.

    If they get away with flexible resourcing for the forthcoming Tax Credit peak then we can expect more and more initiatives where we are forcibly shifted around the department to cover staffing shortfalls.

    Despite repeated efforts by PCS the employer is refusing to talk to us about an agreement to resolve these issues. In fact the employer has gone out of its way to announce attack after attack on members by ignoring the views of 50,000 PCS members.

    It is therefore clear that the only way staff in HMRC can protect their jobs and conditions is to take strike action to force the department to see sense. Therefore all PCS members in HMRC are being asked, initially, to take one day of strike action as part of a rolling programme of strike action to send a clear message to our employer that HMRC must improve.

    The rolling programme of action is similar to the action that members took last year with colleagues in the DWP and which hit HMRC operations hard. The strike days are as follows:
    Monday 23 June - Scotland and Northern England
    Tuesday 24 June - Yorkshire & Humberside and Eastern England
    Wednesday 25 June - London & South East and South West England
    Thursday 26 June - Midlands and Northern Ireland
    Friday 27 June - North West England and Wales

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  8. Unfortunately will not make a bit of difference overall. The public are apathetic when it comes to cushy, well paid, job secure for life with a golden pension civil servants getting shafted.
    Yes, I know that's not reality, but that's what the public believes and until the media and the politicians state otherwise PAS is about as much use as a chocolate teapot, despite their very expensive new HQ!
    If you still have not worked out the looming HMRC PLC scenario then you are sleepwalking into oblivion.
    The halcyon daze that combined altruistic and truly civil servants with a secure job and a lower, by comparison salary have long since gone. Many of the minions are casuals with no interest in anything other than salary, probably should not be working anywhere near taxpayers confidential details.
    Staff with any format of conscience or sense of service are in a minority and most of the remaining full time staff are frightened, yes, frightened of their own shadows, if
    you wish to see megalomaniac or psychopathic managers at work, join HMRC!

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    Replies
    1. IMO from what I'm hearing most of the line managers need psychiatric help

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  9. For PAS read PCS!

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  10. Copied From; RECRUITER author Martin Goodwill MD Profiles International

    8 signs of incompetent managers

    1. Poor communication skills

    2. Weak leadership capabilities

    3. Inability or unwillingness to adapt to change

    4. Poor relationship-building skills

    5. Ineffective task management

    6. Poor productivity

    7. Poor development of others

    8. Neglectful of own personal development

    then there are the remedies;

    Remedies

    Like winning coaches, successful managers are both talented and skilled. Of course, managerial skills can be developed through training, mentoring, and experience. But if a manager lacks natural talent, his or her odds of success will diminish significantly.

    If you recognise any of these symptoms in your (or your client’s) management team, then:

    • Identify the natural leadership skills and abilities within your organisation

    • Evaluate your current managers by using a 360° competency feedback system

    • Use the reports to create development plans for struggling managers

    • Reassign underperforming managers to other roles in your business where they can be top performers.
    - See more at: http://www.recruiter.co.uk/archive/part-28/How-to-identify-competent--and-incompetent--managers/#sthash.XJoKkolJ.dpuf

    Any ideas about which organisattion hits the 8 ball consistently?
    Recognise any of your "managers" characteristics above?

    Follow the link to see an expansion of each point.

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  11. "Revenue protected" is a VAT concept which they used for years before the merger with IR. It made them look good. Those of us on the old IR side of things wished we could do the same but the rules prevented it, rightly.

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  12. Yes, FRB is a "VAT concept" but it certainly didn't make anyone look good. Anyone could see that it was a con

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  13. Seeing as its an open thread, changing tack, as the saying goes, money is the root of all evil. It beggars belief how top heavy HMRC is. Notwithstanding the executive committee of HMRC there appears to be no end of directors, deputy directors etc cropping up all over the place who are consistently changing all business practices within HMRC to justify their excessive salaries. It's a case of if it ain't broke break it or too many chiefs. If the taxpayer could be a fly on the wall to see what little people who earn double the national average salary do there would be outcry, then again it probably wouldn't come as much surprise. In order to mask the fact that it does not employ enough people the executive committee are now forcing individuals to be moved into work areas where they have no experience for short periods to assist peaks involving tax deadlines. It's a disgrace.

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    Replies
    1. The LOVE of money is the root of all evil ;-)

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  14. Take a look at Sir Bobby Kerslake's so called blog. Excellent thread on PMR. If only he would read it : staff from all Departments ripping it to shreds and HR directors and minions swearing blind that stacking does not exist. Come into the real world.

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  15. Anyone went to the "Building Our Future" event ?

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    Replies
    1. Yes - they should have been more honest and called it "preparing for privatisation" I picked them up on how they would have to change the legislation BIG TIME if they were going to be digital by default, because many parts of the Taxes Management Act require certain procedures to be carried out by "an officer of the board of HMRC" well that's not a computer is it! If you look at Bosher v HMRC (Upper Tribunal) you'll see where this exact point was addressed by the UT judges

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