Whither DEC?

In December last year I wrote the following about DEC:

"Who, why, or what is DEC?

DEC is a centralised IT system used by HMRC's Counter Avoidance Division. In theory it is meant to bring together all demographic, legal, tax and historic information on tax avoiders.

I am advised that the DEC system has now cost £40 million. Unfortunately it does not work terribly well, if at all.

I understand that much of the key documentation around avoidance cases sent to Counter Avoidance, from local HMRC offices from inspectors told to drop and transfer cases to Counter Avoidance, has disappeared (been lost).

The value of these lost cases in terms of tax revenue is, so I understand, £2BN."

Moving forward to the present time, I am advised by a loyal reader that due to cost and lack of functionality Jennie Granger ordered (or rather was told to order) this project cease and DEC scrapped before a tax record was ever loaded onto it.

Seemingly the final cost was over £43 million.

Granger left HMRC as I noted in April (voluntarily or pushed?).

Seemingly, so I am advised, David Richardson, her replacement, has also been told to go by next April.

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"

Penny Ciniewicz Returns To HMRC

Penny Ciniewicz, chief executive of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), has been hired as head of HMRC’s customer compliance group taking over from Jennie Granger who stepped down in May and Angela MacDonald, currently operational excellence director in HMRC, will take on Ruth Owen’s old role of customer services group head.

Penny Ciniewicz will return to HMRC on 4 September to become director general for customer compliance, which includes compliance for all customer groups, from large businesses to individuals, as well as HMRC’s counter-avoidance and fraud investigation functions.

This marks a return home for Ciniewicz, CCH Daily reports that prior to being CEO of the VOA, Ciniewicz was director of knowledge, analysis and intelligence at HMRC from 2007 to 2009. She was also principal private secretary to the Cabinet Secretary and director aerospace and defence at the Department for Trade and Industry, holding both roles for only two years.

Ciniewicz said:

"It’s a privilege to be returning to HMRC after nearly eight years as chief executive for the VOA. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to build on the work of Jennie Granger in ensuring we reduce the tax gap and promote compliance, ensuring we bring in the money that pays for the UK’s public services."

Angela MacDonald will take up her new role on 7 August. She was appointed director for operational excellence at HMRC in January 2017 and has previously been operational excellence director at the Department for Work and Pensions from 2013 to 2017. Prior to joining the Civil Service, MacDonald worked in the financial services sector.

Angela MacDonald said:

"As operational excellence director, I see firsthand the commitment and passion among our people for delivering high-quality customer service. This is a fantastic opportunity and it is a privilege to follow in Ruth Owen’s footsteps, investing in and building the best service we can for all our customers, now and in the future."

Melissa Tatton, currently director for individuals and small business compliance at HMRC, will replace Ciniewicz as CEO of the VOA.

Jon Thompson, chief executive of HMRC, said:

"I’d like to congratulate Melissa, Penny and Angela on their appointments, and am delighted to welcome them to HMRC’s Executive Committee. They bring a wealth of capability, leadership and experience with them, and will have vital roles to play in helping build our future and achieve our vision of becoming a world-class organisation."

By happenstance I have looked up VOA on Glassdoor, and see a few comments from employees thusly:

"you will be over worked and under paid
management will take credit for your hard work
you will be pushed to your limit and likely bullied if you dare speak up
put a foot wrong and they will hold it against you for ever more.

Management are made up of people jumping form other departments and pulling their mates along with them. You have no chance of any career progression unless you are someone who can do as you are told and not think for yourself. They don't like that. Avoid as all costs this is an awful place to work.

Advice to Management

you are not very nice people, you promote bullying and harassment in the work place"

More bullying mentioned here:

"Cliquey teams and a lot of bullying from certain managers - who then are protected by the ''NEW'' office Senior who used to be a co- worker herself and promised to rid of bullies - laughable."

 

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"

Rats Leave The Sinking Ship

Jennie Granger, HMRC’s director general for customer compliance, is to leave HMRC to rebalance her life. As per CCH Daily:

"Now that the customer compliance group is firmly established it feels like the right moment to hand over to a new leader. It’s also time for a little bit of rebalancing for me personally."

This bodes badly for MTD:

@taxbod @ken_frost @accountancylive she's the architect of MTD it's all she was brought in for. Oops

— Sue Christensen (@taxqueen49) April 5, 2017

Oh and by the way, it seems that Ian Barlow (chair of HMRC and lover of candy) has also gone!

@cscth @JV8P @taxqueen49 @ken_frost @accountancylive Yep. The new Private Eye refers. He quietly went just before the latest Candy Bros. case started in the High Court.

— Andrew Brooks (@taxbod) April 5, 2017

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's Three Legged Stool - Strategy, Service and Compliance

HMRC is to launch yet another restructuring drive, with the theoretical intent of putting the "customer" ("TAXPAYER" FFS!) at the heart of the restructured organisation.

The current four HMRC directorates will be streamlined into three distinct divisions:

From 1 October, the existing four directorates will be reorganised into three groups:

1. a new customer strategy and tax design group, which brings together customer strategy, tax policy, process design and tax assurance teams, led by Jim Harra, director general business tax;
2. an expanded customer service group, which includes the main operational teams, led by Ruth Owen, currently director general customer services;
3. a customer compliance group, which will tackle non-compliance and enforcement for all customer groups, including large businesses, led by Jennie Granger, current director general enforcement and compliance.

Central to the customer strategy and tax design group will be the inclusion of representatives from customer services reorganised. This group will include personal tax customer product and process staff, who will take up their new roles in October, while specialist personal tax teams with expertise in policy, technical, shares and valuation, will come on board by December 2016.

The fourth directorate, headed up by Nick Lodge, covering general benefits and credits will be assimilated into the other three core groups.

Where does Lodge end up, or does HMRC hope he falls on his sword?

HMRC director of corporate communications Stephen Hardwick is quoted by CCH Daily:

"As we have been evolving what we do, and where we do it, as part of this transformation, we have also kept our organisational structure under review, to ensure that it is fit for the future and that it supports our new digital and collaborative ways of working.

As a result, we have now decided to make some further changes to how we are structured. From October, we will be reorganising the directorates in our four existing lines of business into three new groups."

An HMRC spokesperson added:

"The way HMRC works is changing for the better. We are more determined than ever to deliver an outstanding service to our customers while clamping down on the minority of tax dodgers who try to cheat the system.

This announcement is about the next step in driving those commitments forward, modernising how we work.

There will also be no redundancies as a result of this restructure."

This restructuring appears to be driven by the need to make the organisation fit in with the Making Tax Digital process, surely it should be the other way around?

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"