Morning, you tax-weary warriors. After what feels like an eternity of watching HMRC throw good money after bad into the black hole that is Fujitsu, the penny has finally dropped. Or rather, the contract has been ripped up.
The troubled Japanese IT behemoth – the very same outfit whose Horizon system wrongfully convicted hundreds of sub-postmasters and turned their lives into living nightmares – has been unceremoniously replaced by Danish firm Netcompany on HMRC’s vital Trading Service platform. That’s right: the system that handles the bulk of our import/export declarations, VAT on goods moving in and out, and a chunk of the customs revenue that keeps the lights on in Whitehall.
Fujitsu’s contract? Terminated. Netcompany steps in from 2026, with the transition already under way. HMRC says it’s part of a “strategic shift” to modernise and “reduce reliance on single suppliers”. Translation: “We’ve finally realised that sticking with a company whose software ruined thousands of innocent lives might not be the best look, especially when the Public Accounts Committee keeps asking awkward questions.”
Let’s be brutally honest: Fujitsu should have been shown the door years ago. The Horizon scandal alone – where faulty software led to prosecutions, bankruptcies, suicides, and a £1.3 billion compensation bill (so far) – should have been enough to blacklist them from any government contract. But no. HMRC kept the cheques rolling, pouring hundreds of millions into Fujitsu’s pockets while the rest of us dealt with glitchy online services and endless helpline holds.
This isn’t just a technical switch; it’s a long-overdue admission that outsourcing critical tax and customs systems to a firm with that track record was, frankly, insane. And the timing? Delicious. With the Post Office Horizon Inquiry still exposing fresh horrors almost weekly, HMRC quietly slipping Fujitsu out the back door is about as subtle as a bailiff at dawn.
Netcompany, for what it’s worth, comes with a cleaner slate and a reputation for delivering digital services on time and on budget (in Denmark, at least). Whether they can untangle the spaghetti of HMRC’s legacy systems remains to be seen, but at least they’re not carrying the baggage of wrongful convictions and cover-ups.
So, farewell Fujitsu – don’t let the door hit you on the way out. And good riddance to one of the most expensive, scandal-ridden outsourcing relationships in British public sector history.
Tax does have to be taxing.
But paying a fortune to a company that helped destroy lives? That’s just taking the piss.
Amazon “Celebrate the Fujitsu Exit” Suggestions
(affiliate links – because every small victory deserves a treat)
- Champagne Flutes – for toasting the end of an era
- Confetti Cannon – because this deserves fireworks
- “Good Riddance” Mug – fill with something stronger than tea
- Stress Ball shaped like a computer – squeeze it every time you remember Fujitsu
- “I Survived HMRC Outsourcing” T-shirt – limited edition, obviously
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"
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