"HMRC collected more tax revenue in 2016-17 and improved its service levels for taxpayers. However error and fraud is rising within Tax Credits and HMRC needs to make it easier for claimants to get help. HMRC is part-way through an ambitious programme to bring in digital services and reduce its costs. In doing so HMRC must ensure it maintains adequate services if it is to protect revenue and tackle error and fraud”.
Amyas Morse, head of National Audit Office, 14 July 2017
The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) has qualified his regularity audit opinion on the 2016-17 Resource Accounts because of material levels of error and fraud in the payments of Personal Tax Credits.
He has qualified the accounts on these grounds every year since Tax Credits were introduced in 2003-04.
HMRC’s central estimate of error and fraud in 2015-16 (the most recent available) is £1.57 billion of overpayments (5.5% of total spending on Personal Tax Credits) and £0.21 billion of underpayments (0.7% of total spending on Personal Tax Credits). HMRC’s estimated increase in error and fraud within Tax Credits is contrary to the significant reductions achieved in previous years, and the rate is expected to increase further.
Wrt MTD the scale of transformation will be challenging to manage, and the U.K.’s exit from the EU presents an additional challenge (no kidding!).
As for "customer service" the NAO warns that the current approach used by HMRC to measurement could overstate calls handled, and understate the time to answer as experienced by the customer.
Tax does have to be taxing.
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ReplyDeleteImplied criticism of HMRC by (Dear Old) Amyas, whatever next, outright criticism or even apportioned blame?
ReplyDeleteWhat with all the money spent on hiring football stadia, hotels, hire cars, flights, Lean crap etc. one would have expected a better report.
If the NAO are not even calling out hmrc over the obvious, e.g wasteful spending such as the hire of conference facilities at football clubs, then I am afraid their report loses credibility.
DeleteIs this supposed to be an independent report? Good grief, anyone who has the displeasure of regularly dealing with HMRC, anyone who has worked for them, knows that it is rotten to its core. Starting point for sorting it all out must be the independent investigation of law breaking by staff so that the public can be reassured HMRC themselves are not of the rule of law. TOTALLY CORRUPT.
ReplyDeletenothing about hmrc corruption/misconduct ??
ReplyDeletenothing about hmrc allow a culture of bullying, thuggery and lawlessness for some working in their organisation ??
oh dear the truth still needs to out, and it will.
integrity is not negotiable. hmrc may have very 'clever' (or very corrupt) people who try to re-write the truth but individuals who broke the law and equally those who attempted to cover it up ( misconduct in public office ? ) and who hmrc failed to deal with in accordance with their own rules or indeed the law of the land, will be named and exposed...
One has to wonder what the NAOs view would be wrt HMRC falsifying documentation? One may also wonder what would be the NAOs view on managers ***planning*** (months in advance) & manufacturing bogus performance issues as part of their mentally disturbed personally motivated vendettas?
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day, once an HMRC manager decides to bully/abuse a staff member, the staff member has no opportunity to defend themselves against their abuser. Respect for the law by certain elements of HMRC management and HR is totally non-existent. This out of control culture of cowardly abuse within HMRC will only be stopped if misbehaving managers are disciplined and sacked. The problem with the current system is HR staff believe the public pay their wages to cover up wrongdoing - they are a drain on vital public funds.
ReplyDeletePS. Those considering employment with HMRC in one of their new Regional Hubs should think very carefully before joining this vicious bunch of bullies.
I hear all this about corruption, cover ups and lies, but hear nothing of any value. I'm sure someone in the police or media would be interested if there is any truth in this. I certainly would be.
ReplyDeleteMe too. I would like to see HMRC brought to book. One HMRC employee (former employee) talked about distressing 'intrusive thoughts' caused by HMRC management bullying. The HMRC thugs raided the home of another whistle-blower Osita Mba who exposed wrongdoing - he later received an award from Middlesex University for exposing what HMRC wanted to keep secret from the public who pay their wages; a courageous and decent public servant of which our country needs more like. I believe the various accounts to be credible and true and am very certain individual criminals and law breakers will be named and shamed publically in due course, even if right now they think the HMRC cover-ups have allowed them escape necessary scrutiny and justice, the past may well catch up with them...
DeleteWow! The old-fashioned days of the Inland Revenue employing polite and decent ladies and gentleman with integrity are well and truly over. Scandal at the tax office, eh. Somebody on here months ago talked about how they got stitched up and a manager resigned from HMRC in disgust at the cover up. No smoke without fire etc etc
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