Thursday 15 February 2024

HMRC Hemorrhaging Millions on Press Pen Pals


 

A tale of wrong priorities.

On one hand, we've got His Majesty's Revenue & Customs, diligently squeezing every penny from honest grafters like you and me. 

On the other, we have their press office, a PR paradise guzzling a cool £8 million a year! Sounds like a right royal bunfight, wouldn't you say?

Now, before you start picturing champagne flutes and caviar canapes, let's dissect this fiscal fandango. £8 million buys a lot of press releases, chummy chats with journalists, and carefully crafted soundbites. 

But for what? 

To tell us they're "cracking down on tax dodgers"? 

Please, the only thing they're cracking is open a new PR agency account.

Let's be honest, folks. HMRC's communication strategy could use a reality check. Instead of penning press releases that read like government-speak bingo, why not focus on, you know, actually helping taxpayers? 

Streamline the online system that resembles a labyrinth designed by Kafka himself. 

Answer the damn phones! 

Make it easier for us to understand and comply with our tax obligations, instead of wasting millions on spinning narratives.

And don't even get me started on the value for money. £8 million could:

  • Fund an army of tax advisors to help confused citizens navigate the HMRC maze.
  • Upgrade their creaking IT infrastructure from the dial-up era.
  • Hire more compliance officers to catch the real tax dodgers, not just write press releases about them.

I'm all for clear communication. But when it comes to HMRC, their PR machine seems more concerned with image management than actual service. It's time for a serious rethink. Let's see some of that £8 million reinvested in taxpayers, not press chums. 

Otherwise, we'll have to ask: who's really dodging their responsibilities here?


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3 comments:

  1. The Devil is in the detail of the Guido Fawkes article.

    Only 57 percent occupancy at 100 Parliament Street i.e Headquarters of Wayne Enterprises in February.

    Third from bottom.

    The Press Office Gravy Train had less than 5 AOs and 15 Officer Grades. Nice work if you can get it.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-headquarters-occupancy-data/civil-service-headquarters-occupancy-data-for-may-2023

    ReplyDelete
  2. I didn't know that HMRC has an 'Abab'. Not that I particularly care. Maybe they need a bigger Press Office staffed with public school SCS muffins that don't know the price of a pint of milk to tell me all about it. CSTP...Common Sense Transplant Panel .. would be of more use.

    https://www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article/ministers-reject-call-for-hmrc-digitalisation-drives-to-prioritise-customer-needs

    ReplyDelete
  3. Here's another list of statistics that HMRC won't be bleating about on social media.

    I can understand the laptops, perhaps even the tablets... But why the f**k does HMRC need to buy 32,013 mobile phones?

    They've shat Megabucks on this equipment. How much have they 'saved' slashing staff, closing offices and everything else?

    Best start sending out the brown envelopes to get the punters to cough up..

    https://www.techradar.com/pro/hmrc-spent-millions-on-kit-for-remote-working-staff

    ReplyDelete