Thursday 31 December 2015

Has Homer Gone?

A number of loyal readers have commented on the word "lately" re Homer's Damehood:
"Order of the Bath Dames Commander of the Order of the Bath Ms Linda Margaret HOMER, CB Lately Chief Executive, HM Revenue and Customs. For public service particularly to Public Finance. (Hadleigh, Suffolk)."
Does this mean she has already left office?

If so, why has there been no advert for the job yet?

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

There Is Nothing Like a Dame Lin Homer - The Disgrace That is #HomerGate


Another New Year approaches, and with it another set of New Year honours.

Normally the honours attract a degree of admiration and ridicule, depending on who has been awarded one and on the political perspective of those viewing the honours list.

However, this year marks a turning point in which the entire country has been royally taken the piss out of by the award of a Damehood to Lin Homer.

Homer's "career" (if it can be described as such) is a series of increasingly appalling car crashes of spectacular incompetence, as she climbs the slippery slope of civil service power and authority. Now, to add insult to injury, she has been awarded a Damehood for her work in HMRC.

This surely is an insult to every member of staff of HMRC and every taxpayer; ie it is an insult to the entire country.

Normally honours are awarded to those who have left office, to those who have done something useful or to those who are chums with the PM. However, as far as I can see, Homer is none of these.

Therefore I can only conclude that she was given the award for one (or a combination) of the following reasons:

1 Cameron is a closet republican, and wants to bring the system into such disrepute that it is abolished.

2 Cameron wants to take people's attention away from Crosby's honour.

3 Homer was about to leave, and the award is a bribe to keep her in office long enough so that she can be blamed when HMRC inevitably collapses.

4 Homer knows where the bodies are buried in HMRC, and it's a bribe to keep her quiet.

Whatever the reason, it's a fucking disgrace!

Thoughts and comments are very much appreciated.

Incidentally, a twitter chum of mine who is a journalist is seeking confirmation (for an article that he is penning) that Homer is on PAYE. I assume that she is, but please could someone confirm this?

Thanks.

Happy New Year!



Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Wednesday 30 December 2015

What Floods?


Despite the ongoing chaos in the North of the country caused by storms Desmond, Eva and Frank, HMRC are emulating the response of Sir Philip Dilley (chairman of the Environment Agency) and not giving a damn.

As per AccountingWEB:
"Stuart Jones of 3CA Accountants in Kendal, Cumbria has borne the brunt of the twin storms’ fury. According to Jones, residents are bracing themselves for further storms. Kendal was completely cut off three days ago as all the roads leading into the town were flooded.

Jones now has the unenviable task of facing self assessment season with a ruined office. “Our downstairs was about a metre deep,” said Jones.

“We’ve had to move upstairs and we’ve lost all our computers and records.” HMRC has set up a flooding tax helpline - but Jones told AccountingWEB he has struggled to get conclusive answers on precisely what allowances will be made for accountants in his position. “When I phoned the helpline, I was told they couldn’t help me with any client who didn’t owe HMRC money.

“They seem to expect me to write in for every individual client to ask for reasonable excuse - I have 80 returns to file,” he said. “And I bet if I did do that, I’d be told to write in - but HMRC’s response turnaround is 12 weeks.”

He continued, “Their main concern seems to be they don’t want to be seen chasing debts from businesses who are literally up to their necks in water. The rest of us just have to hold on,” said Jones."
This sounds par for the course for HMRC. Please feel free to share your HMRC flood stories.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Monday 21 December 2015

#economia50



Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

HMRC Staff Engagement 2015 - 45%


Congratulations to HMRC for coming almost bottom in the 2015 Civil Service People Survey wrt staff engagement as published 16 November (yes, I know I'm late with this!).

The median employee engagement index was 58%, HMRC scored 45% (only three other departments scored lower).

Bonuses all round then eh?

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Tuesday 15 December 2015

HMRC's Digital Future - Less is More


It seems not everyone thinks that HMRC will succeed with its bold digital vision of the future.

As per The Register:
"Jessica Figueras, chief analyst at government IT experts Kable, believes the additional £1.3bn promised to digitise HMRC by 2020 is money that has been costed from the Aspire contract.

"HMRC is planning to save 25 per cent of the costs of Aspire by replacing it," she said. Last year HMRC spent £874m on IT and digital. "Put it another way – HMRC's stated plan is to spend less on digital and IT, not more."
Let's see where we are in a year's time!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Monday 14 December 2015

HMRC's Bright, Bold, New Digital Future


HMRC has today launched its digital accounts for personal taxpayers, and set out details of its “transformative” plans to use technology to cut costs and improve taxpayer service. 

On the assumption that nothing goes wrong, HMRC believes that every individual and small business would have access to their own secure digital tax account next year.

HMRC's "brave" step towards a digital future will theoretically pave the way for the automatic uploading of the information needed by HMRC leading to what it described as “the end of the tax return for millions of taxpayers”.

During 2016, information on bank and building society interest will start to be included in tax codes, removing the need for many taxpayers to report this income separately in a tax return.

The new personal tax accounts are aimed at providing a joined-up view of individuals’ tax and benefits, allowing them to update their tax details as needed and making it easier to contact HMRC officials through services like web chat.

David Gauke, financial secretary to the Treasury, said the new accounts were part of a digital transformation aimed at making the tax system more effective, more efficient and easier for taxpayers.

As per the FT:
Giving customers the ability to manage their tax affairs online is our latest step towards a fully digital tax system. This government is determined to revolutionise how we deliver public services and the tax system is no exception.”
Well then, let us see how this pans out in reality shall we?

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Friday 11 December 2015

HMRC Judge, Jury and Executioner


Despite warnings, the government will go ahead with plans to consult on legislation that will create a new criminal offence for corporations that fail to take appropriate steps to prevent the facilitation of tax avoidance.

Pinsent Masons, the law firm, notes that the new law will be difficult to impose against overseas firms. Jason Collins, partner and head of tax at Pinsent Masons, is quoted by economia warning of the dangers of trial by press release:
You can’t extradite a company.

HMRC may resort to 'prosecution by press release' – i.e., by issuing criminal proceedings which, because they are in the public domain, will mean the foreign company has to decide whether to respond in the public domain. 

This is the sort of legislation of which US law-makers would be proud. It is a bold attempt by the UK to extend the arm of its law beyond its borders. It needs to be matched with resources to police the offence otherwise it will become a damp squib.”
The government has also published further details on new powers that will allow HMRC to levy penalties on companies that persistently engage in aggressive tax planning.

A large business can be placed under what HMRC describes as “special measures” if it judges it to have an ongoing history of tax planning. HMRC’s “special measures” could then be used to impose harsher penalties if any unpaid tax is due to a “speculative interpretation” of UK law.

Pinsent Masons are of the view that HMRC is free to decide what this “speculative interpretation” is. Heather Self, partner at Pinsent Masons said:
The new terms effectively leave HMRC as judge, jury and executioner on these businesses’ approach to tax.

That is a very subjective judgement and is likely to result in some very contentious penalties when it is used.
Handing more powers to HMRC, given its track record of mistakes and abusing its current powers, is not step in the right direction.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Thursday 10 December 2015

HMRC Wooden Spoon Nomination


My thanks to a Loyal Reader who pointed out that Money Mail is looking for votes for their Wooden Spoon Award, which HMRC has featured in for six years running.

Why not make it seven years in a row?

Vote for HMRC via thisismoney.co.uk/spoon

No Wooden Spoon contest is complete without the taxman gracing the list. Incredibly, this is the sixth year in a row that HM Revenue & Customs has featured. Will it ever get its act together?

The introduction this year of the new marriage tax allowance was shambolic. Problems with the application process triggered a flood of furious letters to our postbag.

In most cases, you’d been unable to get the tax break because you couldn’t pass the online test

to prove your identity. Some of you wrote to complain, but didn’t get a response for months.

To qualify, older applicants were asked for credit card, mortgage, passport or driving licence details. This froze out those who have paid off their mortgage, don’t borrow, have only a paper driving licence or no longer go abroad.

The usual problems were also prevalent: callers have also been kept on the line for nearly an hour to speak to an adviser; readers told how separate departments failed to pass on information to each other; and families were unexpectedly hit with massive bills.

In particular, millions of elderly taxpayers keep being told that they owe thousands of pounds — but can’t get an explanation as to why. Worse, their appeal is often thrown out by officials. Only when their dispute goes to the Adjudicator, the tax watchdog, is it finally upheld. For many of those forced to fight HMRC, the most troubling aspect is that despite not putting a foot wrong, they’re held accountable for a tax mistake they haven’t even made.

A spokesperson for HMRC says: ‘Our service levels have not been good enough at busy periods this year, and improvements to our service have taken longer than we’d hoped. We have taken major steps to improve, including the recruitment of 3,000 new staff into customer service roles.’


Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Wednesday 9 December 2015

Boastful HMRC


HMRC's recent boast in an advert in the Sunday Times, in which it states that more than 90 countries and jurisdictions that are set to commence the sharing of financial information on UK taxpayers, has been called into question by tax professionals.

Doubts have been raised over whether HMRC can readily handle, and make use of, the information garnered through the arrangements.

Nigel May, a senior tax partner at MHA MacIntyre Hudson, is quoted by AccoutancyAge:
"Campaigns like this are all well and good but questions remain over the ability of HMRC to use the information they gain from this high profile action. 

We have found that similar previous advertising tended to flush out taxpayers who had in fact fully complied and were just terrified by the inherent underlying threat.
And we also know of other instances of cases where there was undeclared tax due of under £100 which would undoubtedly have cost the revenue more in administration costs than the small sum they received."
Time will tell as to whether HMRC's boasts reflect reality.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Monday 7 December 2015

HMRC's Adult Entertainment Taskforce


As per AccountingWeb, HMRC has announced a focus on the assets of strippers, escort agencies and lap dancing clubs, with the creation of a new ‘adult entertainment’ taskforce.

HMRC agents will be going undercover into strip clubs etc.

It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Friday 4 December 2015

HMRC's Digital Future - Bain


HMRC has selected Bain & Company to guide its transition away from its £10.7 billion Aspire IT outsourcing contract. Bain beat eight other bids for the £20 million contract.

In order to try to gain more control over its IT infrastructure, and end the excessive profit making, the HMRC is exploring ways to change the way in which its IT operations are managed. 

Consultancy.uk reports that Bain & Company was chosen on the back of its strategic IT expertise (85%) and price (15%), and the move will see the consultancy become HMRC’s main transformation advisory partner.

Bain’s new role will be to provide strategic support to the HMRC, helping the “programme management team exit from a large-scale outsourced IT arrangement” according to the tender document. 

The consultants will among others be responsible for IT strategy advisory, programme management and governance, system process re-engineering, supporting the people and culture change workstream, and providing further functional/industry expertise as required. 

The contract with Bain formally started in September of this year and runs until August 2017, thus sometime after the Aspire contract comes to an end.

Let's see how this goes then.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Wednesday 2 December 2015

HMRC's Postal Delays


Ever wondered why it takes HMRC so long to answer a letter?

A loyal reader yesterday summed up the reasons for the ever slower response times:
"HMRC announced that they were going to start scanning all incoming post so they closed all the Regional Post Rooms (including Shipley which has the mysterious BX5 postcode).

What they didnt tell Shipley was that Shipley would become the postroom for the whole of HMRC until the digitalisation programme was complete.

And therein lies the problem, Shipley is running on a skeleton staff and are struggling to cope with the volumes of post coming in and there are delays in distributing post to the network.

I dont blame the staff, they are doing their best - its EXCOM I blame.
"
Response times are, if I am right, around 8 weeks or more?

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Well Said!




Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Monday 30 November 2015

HMRC's Dog's Dinner


Proving once again that there is a world of difference between what the government says and does, Osborne's actions wrt quarterly tax returns show he has no interest in reducing the regulatory burdens on the self employed and SME's

Osborne announced last Wednesday that tax returns will have to be filed four times a year from 2020 using apps and the HMRC website.

All very well and dandy, if it cost the taxpayers nothing in terms of time and money to quadruple their tax submissions and if ambitious HMRC IT projects actually worked.

John Longworth, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, is quoted by the Mail on Sunday:
"‘It’s difficult enough for businesses to deal with HMRC as it is without removing any of their face-to-face or telephone contact. Having digital might end up being a complete mess. We’re going to have to watch it very carefully."

Simon Baylis, partner at accountancy firm Moore Stephens, is just as scathing:
"You just know what’s going to happen if the self-employed are required to make quarterly payments. Many struggle to do self-assessment once a year. There will be a huge penalty issue, with disputes over people being on holiday at the end of a quarter or being sick. It will be an absolute dog’s dinner and I am very worried about it.

We haven’t got the detail yet and 2020 may seem a long way off but more and more businesses are going to be lobbying the Government over this. The Government is not thinking about the real world. In an ideal world, of course, it would be good, but in practice the self-employed and landlords are not bookkeepers.

It is ironic as quarterly reporting by FTSE 100 companies to their shareholders has just been dropped as being too burdensome."
My humble questions are as follows:

1 How can this save taxpayers, and indeed HMRC, time and money if the number of submissions is quadrupled?

2 How does reporting your tax affairs four times every year make any difference to the reality of an individual's or SME's tax position?

We have ended up but vassals of the State's bureaucracy!


Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Friday 27 November 2015

HMRC Phone Glitch


I understand that yesterday's helpline glitch was fixed by mid afternoon.



Everything is now working hunky dory!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Thursday 26 November 2015

Glitch on HMRC Phone Lines



Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Autumn Statement 2015 - Key Points


A brief summary of the key points of Osborne's 2015 Autumn Statement has been published in the Telegraph.

Much rest on HMRC's brave new digital future, and us lowly taxpayers being given our own digital tax accounts.

What could possibly go wrong?

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Wednesday 25 November 2015

#AutumnStatement Live

As Osborne takes to the stage for the third time this year, follow his Autumn Statement (or Budget if you prefer to call it that) live here.



Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Tuesday 24 November 2015

HMRC Wins Digital Project of The Year


HMRC has won ‘Digital Project of the Year’ in awards held on 18 November.

The award recognises the progress HMRC has made in its ongoing digital transformation.

Specifically, the award recognises the Multi-Channel Digital Tax Platform. MDTP gives HMRC the agility and speed required by a digital-first organisation, while fully meeting requirements around legacy systems and security policies.

MDTP’s microservice architecture enables multiple agile teams to rapidly build, deploy and operate services, with enhancements going live almost daily.

Mark Dearnley, Chief Digital and Information Officer at HMRC, is quoted by Business Wire:
The Tax Platform is the foundation on which the Department’s digital future is being built. We can now deliver new services in just weeks not months, and make changes in hours not weeks. 

When people talk about inspirational use of technology, this is the kind of project they mean.”
Ryan Sikorsky, co-founder and Director at Equal Experts, said
It's wonderful to have our work recognised by judges at the UK IT Industry awards. It’s testimony to the power of our collaborative approach – we’re proud to have helped HMRC become a more open, digitally capable organisation, one with a strong focus on the needs of the public.
Well then it seems that, on the IT side at least, HMRC is a success story!

Comments anyone?

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Monday 23 November 2015

HMRC's Secret Scottish Letters


HMRC will be sending out approximately 2.2 million letters, between 2nd and 11th of December, to those people that it has identified as being Scottish.

However, for reasons best known to HMRC, the letters will contain no reply address or phone number.

As per Kate Upcraft:
"Following on from the announcement that the Scottish Rate of Income Tax (SRIT) will be made public as part of the Scottish parliament budget on 16th December, HMRC have informed stakeholders what their timetable of comms will be. 

A letter will be sent to the 2.2m taxpayers that HMRC have identified as Scottish between 2nd and 11th December. The letter will confirm that based on their records they have identified the person as a Scottish taxpayer subject to SRIT from 6th April 2016 and that the rate will be announced on 16th. 

Where the taxpayer feels that the address detail is wrong their only suggested solution is to complete the change of circumstances form on the HMRC website. 

The letter contains no reply address and, unsurprisingly after recent events, no phone number. It will be interesting to see if these letters lead to increased employer or agent contact from employees who believe them to be incorrect."
Good luck to the 2.2 million who receive these letters!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Thursday 19 November 2015

Building Our Future - HMRC's Transitional Centres


HMRC's ten year plan to cut £100M in costs and move remaining staff to 13 hubs will not, unsurprisingly, suit every member of staff.

As such HMRC has come up with a "brilliant" solution, designed to "help" those staff who feel that (or whom HMRC feels) they are not part of HMRC's bright new digital future.

Transitional Centres

A name more akin to something built for refugees fleeing a war zone.

Computing reports that HMRC will have transitional centres for people who are likely to leave the organisation within the next decade.

The question is which sites will be transitional?

Employees who find themselves in such a centre will doubtless feel a tad "demoralised".

Won't this cause more problems?

Notwithstanding this, HMRC plans to move certain roles and perhaps even teams to transitional centres where they will work until the department deems them obsolete.  
 
What could possibly go wrong?

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Wednesday 18 November 2015

HMRC's Race To The Bottom


In March 2014 I wrote about HMRC's performance evaluation system, which insists on fixed quotas wherein 10% of staff fall in the bottom rating regardless of their performance.

I noted at the time that:
"This is not a new concept, many "successful" private sector companies have used this technique (or variations thereon) eg Enron and Arthur Andersen (the failed accountancy firm that audited Enron). Seemingly the fear of "failure" is meant to be "motivational"."
Aside from the nonsense of having fixed quotas for staff performance, its "success" or otherwise rests on the quality of management who make the assessment and then "guide" those who are in the bottom 10%.

My thanks to a loyal reader, who recently dropped me a note outlining the reality of what goes on behind the scenes when HMRC management decide who has to be placed in the bottom 10%.

"Morale has eroded at an alarming rate. 

The competency based promotion system is flawed beyond belief and as for the Performance Management Review process we have to endure, well it is the most unfair ridiculous annual assessment of staff I have ever known, and I've been around a while. 

If the taxpayer was aware of how many man/woman hours is wasted on this process there'd be a public inquiry. 

I kid you not. 

Let me give you an example of how it works. I meet with each member of staff under my management, once at the mid year and once at year end. We will discuss performance and we will agree (or not!) where that person sits within one of the three areas; 

- Exceeded Performance, 
- Achieved Performance or 
- Less Effective Performance. 

As managers we have been told that as an office we MUST have 10% of staff in the Less Effective box. This is non negotiable. 

However once I've completed my staff reviews and given each one an indicative mark I must now attend a Validation Group where all managers meet under the leadership of a chairperson. This is where my staff will be compared against the staff of other managers. Each manager goes in determined that none of their staff are going to end up in the 10% bracket. Added in to the mix is the fact that a lot of the staff being "Validated" don't even do the same type of work!! 

In effect if your manager is going in to these validation meetings you had better hope and pray that they are exceptional at standing their ground. A further twist here is that the validation group chair in at least one example that I know of started the session by saying that his PMR depended on making sure that the validation group reached the target of at least 10% of the staff being discussed ending up in the Less Effective Performance band. 

The result of all this is that decisions about individuals' performance is being assessed by a group of managers most of whom have never seen the work of that individual, in a lot of cases don't know them at all. What normally happens it that no one enters the room with anyone in the 10% box. Then the fun and games start as each manager listens intently for any sign of weakness in other managers arguments or in the evidence put before them regarding each individual being discussed. 

Once a weak manager or weak evidence is identified, everyone else turns on that individual or their manager. After all, a group attack is the best form of defence. Weak managers are consumed by the rest and their staff suffer as a consequence. 

Oh by way, there is supposed to be an independent note taker at each validation meeting. I know of one independent person who was so upset at what she was exposed to she refused to do it again. 

The PMR process means that in October and April staff are more concerned with their PMRs than about the job they are paid to do. Perhaps someone should do a survey of HMRC call centres at PMR time. I would guess the waiting time for customers is a lot longer than normal. I would estimate that all staff spend a minimum of one whole day preparing for their mid year and end of year PMR (that's a conservative estimate). 

Then you've got the reviews themselves, then you've got the validation groups, then you've got the inevitable appeal processes. 

The managers hate it, but Excom ram it down our throats; grumble about it and you could find yourself on the naughty step i.e. the Less Effective Box."

HMRC's performance appraisal system is clearly not fit for purpose!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Tuesday 17 November 2015

HMRC Grips The Issue - Don't Believe The Hype!


A spokesman for HMRC is quoted by International Adviser, talking about the closure of HMRC offices and HMRC's "improved" performance:

We recognise our customer service has not been good enough recently and apologise to all those who have found it difficult to talk to us. 

We have gripped this issue and recruited around 3,000 new staff in our customer teams, also moving an extra 900 HMRC people on to customer correspondence in recent months.

These improvements have started to make a difference. This month, we have answered more than 80% of calls, and average queue times are now around 10 minutes.
Well that's all very fine and dandy, except that it's bollocks.

The reality is, as a loyal reader pointed out to me, that of course performance has improved in November that's because November and December are quiet months.

Wait until January, then we will see how HMRC copes!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Monday 16 November 2015

Building Our Future - Dorothy Brown Speaks


Director of personal tax, Dorothy Brown, is quoted by The Star saying that HMRC would do as much as possible to keep staff.
We want to retain as many staff as possible which is why we have given people five or six years’ notice so they have time to look at their choices and options. 

We fully appreciate the move might be difficult in certain personal circumstances but we will work with staff on retaining or upskilling them.

If people do want to travel we will support them, perhaps helping out with travel costs if it is more expensive and we will put together a series of HR packages. We are committed to keep as many staff as possible.
I doubt that!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Friday 13 November 2015

Build You Own HMRC Office


My thanks to a loyal reader who posted a link to the following opportunity offered by HMRC.

Those who wish to build new HMRC offices, I would have thought that there must be some offices already built that would be suitable, feel free to apply.

Strategic Delivery Partner

HMRC
Open opportunity - This means that the contract is currently unfulfilled but active, and the buying department is looking for potential suppliers to contact them with bid applications.
Closing date: 01 January 2016

Contract summary

Industry
Construction and Real Estate, Printing and Publishing, Other Services
Location of contract
M60 9LA
Value of contract (£)
£1
Published date
12 October 2015
Closing date
01 January 2016
Contract start date
01 January 2016
Contract end date
02 January 2016

Description

The purpose of this Prior Information Notice (PIN) is:
(a) to give potential tenderers advance notice that HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) currently intend to undertake a tendering exercise for a Strategic Delivery Partner, further details of which are given below, and
(b) to advise potential tenderers of an upcoming Supplier Event which will be held on 26/10/2015 in London, at 11am. Followed by opportunities to meet with HMRC on a one to one basis, to be arranged on the supplier day.

HMRC has set out its vision for its future office network as part of its Building our Future Programme. HMRC will create 14 Regional Centres across the UK, of which the majority are expected to be new build properties.

These will vary in size from 1,200 to 7,500 staff. Migration is expected to be over 5 years. The existing 170 offices will close as new Regional Centres open. There will be a small number of specialist sites in addition to the Regional Centres. Some Regional Centres may form part of larger Government Hub campuses.

The requirement is for a Strategic Delivery Partner with the experience to develop and deliver the HMRC Building our Future Property Programme. The partner will work with HMRC and advise on, develop and deliver an overall integrated Building our Future Programme, comment and evaluate individual developments within it; creating a long term management regime and occupier strategy.

HMRC is seeking to engage with organisations or consortia who might be interested in working with the Department to develop its requirements and procurement strategy. Services to be delivered may include: General Programme and Project Management Governance Project Management Office Communications, Marketing and Publicity Property Property/Asset Management Property Acquisitions Freehold/Leasehold Appraisal Construction & Fit Out Financial Business Case Development Financial Appraisal/Cost Modelling Benefit Realisation Investment Funding Commercial Procurement Supply Chain Management Technical M&E Standards Technical Standards (including Environmental) Interior Design IT Cabling Infrastructure Supplier Knowledge & Attributes: UK Coverage Multi-disciplinary organisation FM & Construction Expertise Commercial acumen Public Sector Procurement Government Soft Landings Logistical & Staff Migration Planning Further details about the requirement will be available at the Supplier Event.

About the buyer

Address
5th Floor West Ralli Quays
3 Stanley Street
Salford
M60 9LA
UK
Telephone
+443000587850
Email

Other information

Attachments
Please follow this link to view the notice.
https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/respondToList.html?noticeId=165628688

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"

Dates of HMRC Office Closures

My thanks to a loyal reader for sending me the list of dates of the HMRC office closures:

The list of HMRC offices to shut, and their proposed closure dates:  

Yorkshire and the Humber
Bradford (Centenary Court) 2020-21, Bradford (The Interchange) 2019-20, Grimsby (Imperial House) 2020-21, Harrogate (Victoria Avenue) 2016-17, Hull (Cherry Court) 2020-21, Leeds (Munroe Court) 2019-20, Leeds (Castle House) 2019-20, Leeds (Peter Bennett House) 2019-20, Leeds (Windsor House) 2020-21, Sheffield (Concept House) 2010-21, Shipley (Accounts Office) 2019-20, York (Swinson House) 2019-20.

North East of England
Middlesbrough (Russell Street) 2018-19, Middlesbrough (Eustace House) 2019-20, Peterlee (Emerald Court) 2020-21, Stockton-on-Tees (George Stephenson House) 2020-21, Sunderland (Waterside House) 2019-20, Washington (Waterview Park) 2024-25.

East Midlands
Derby(Northgate House) 2018-19, Leicester (Saxon House) 2020-21, Lincoln (Lawress Hall) 2020-21, Lincoln (Cromwell House) 2016-17, Chesterfield (Markham House) 2016-17, Nottingham (Castle Meadow) 2020-21 when the move will be made into a new regional centre in Nottingham - possibly at Castle Meadow.

London, the South East and East of England

Bedford 2016-17, Brighton 2018-19, Cambridge 2018-19, Canterbury 2019-20, Chatham 2016-17, Chelmsford 2016-17, Colchester 2016-17, Crawley 2017-18, Felixstowe 2016-17, Gravesend 2019-20, Harwich 2017-18, Ipswich (Haven House) 2027-28, Ipswich (St Clare\'s House) 2023-24, London (Berkeley House) 2016-17, London (Bush House) 2019-20, London (Capitol House) 2020-21, London (Custom House) 2019-20, London (Dorset House) 2019-20, London (Euston) 2020-21, London (Ealing International House) 2020-21, London (Riverside House) 2017-21, Luton 2020-21, Maidstone 2020-21, Milton Keynes 2016-17, Norwich 2016-17, Oxford 2017-18, Peterborough (Churchgate) 2020-21, Peterborough (Clifton House) 2017-18, Portsmouth (Lynx House) 2025-26, Portsmouth (Wingfield House) 2018-19, Reading 2024-25, Redhill 2018-19, Romford 2016-17, Southampton 2019-20, Southend 2019-20, Staines (Forum House) 2017-18, Staines (Heliting House) 2017-18, Surbiton 2017-18, Tilbury 2016-17, Uxbridge 2018-19, Watford 2020-21, Wembley 2020-21, Woking 2017-18.

Northern Ireland

Newry (Custom House) June 2016, Coleraine (Fern House) 2016-17, Craigavon (Marlborough House) 2017-18, Enniskillen (Abbey House) 2017-18, Belfast (Beaufort House) 2017-18, Belfast (Carne House) 2017-18, Belfast (Custom House) 2017-18, Belfast (Dorchester House) 2017-18, Lisburn (Moira House) 2019-20, Londonderry (Foyle House) 2020-21.

North West of England

Warrington 2018-19, Carlisle 2017-18, Workington 2018, Bolton 2019-20, Manchester (four offices) 2019-20, Blackburn 2019-20, Blackpool transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions, Preston (three offices) 2020-21 and three to later transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions, Bootle (four offices) 2018-19 and 2019-20, Liverpool one office 2018-19 and two to later transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions, St Helens 2018-19.

Scotland

Aberdeen (Ruby House) 2020-21, Bathgate (Pyramids Business Centre) 2019-20, Cumbernauld (Accounts Office) 2019-20, Dundee (Sidlaw House) due to transfer to DWP, Dundee (Caledonian House) 2017-18, East Kilbride (Hawbank Stores), East Kilbride (Plaza Tower) 2020-21, East Kilbride (Queensway House) 2025-26, Edinburgh (Elgin House) 2019-20, Edinburgh (Grayfield House) 2019-20, Edinburgh (Meldrum House) 2019-20, Glasgow (Cotton House) 2019-20, Glasgow (Portcullis House) 2019-20, Inverness (River House) 2017-18, Livingston (Barbara Ritchie House) 2019-20, Irvine and Glenrothes offices are also both in the process of closing.

South West of England

Avonmouth (Custom House) 2017-18, Bournemouth (Holland House) 2019-20, Bristol (101 Victoria Street) 2017-18, Bristol (Crescent Centre) 2017-18, Exeter (Longbrook House) 2020-21, Gloucester (Twyver House) 2017-18, Plymouth (The Apex) 2016-17, Plymouth (Westpoint) 2016-17, Redruth (Piran House) 2018-19, Swindon (Wiltshire Court) 2017-18, Taunton (Michael Paul House) 2016-17.

Wales

Wrexham, Swansea, Porthmadog and the present Cardiff base at Llanishen will close. An office in Merthyr is already due to shut in 2016.

West Midlands

Birmingham (City Centre House) 2019-20, Birmingham (Norfolk House) 2019-20, Brierley Hill (Bridge House) 2016-17, Brierley Hill (Merry Hill) will transfer to Department for Work and Pensions, Coventry (Sherbourne House) 2019-20, Northampton (Princess House) 2020-21, Northampton (Northgate House) 2016-17, Solihull (Sapphire East) 2019-20, Solihull (Royal House) 2019-20, Telford (Boyd House I and II, Abbey House and Matheson House) 2017-18, Telford (Parkside Court) 2019-20, Walsall (Pattison House) 2016-17, Wolverhampton (Crown House) 2019-20, Worcester (Council Buildings) 2019-20.

Source: HMRC  

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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"