Treasury Maintains Purdah - For Once!

 

In a rare display of integrity, HMT has actually managed to maintain purdah ahead of Sunak's Spring Statement at lunchtime today.

Normally it leaks like a sieve.

Why the change?

I would suggest the lack of leaks means that Sunak is serving very thin gruel indeed for lunch!

Tax does have to be taxing.

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#Budget2021 - Whither Purdah?

 

Tomorrow is Budget Day, yet given the amount of pre Budget briefings by HMT and Rishi we could be forgiven for thinking that Budget Day lasts for a week or so!

I am of an age where I remember a thing called "Purdah", where Budget leaks were forbidden!

Tax does have to be taxing.

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Election Purdah Cancels MTD Hearing

The Treasury Select Committee has cancelled the two evidence sessions it had scheduled for this week, one on Making Tax Digital and the other with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, due to the upcoming general election.

As per CCH Daily:

On 25 April HMRC senior executives, Theresa Middleton and Jim Harra, were due to appear before the committee to explore developments with Making Tax Digital, while on the 26 April the committee was going to take evidence from Philip Hammond.

Due to the upcoming election both meeting have now been cancelled, with no information on if/when they will be rescheduled.


Tax does have to be taxing.

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HMRC New and Interim Director General Appointments

My thanks to a loyal reader who sent me a wee note wrt the following that was announced within HMRC last week:

"Karen Wheeler has been appointed as Director General for Border Coordination, a new post in HMRC.

The new role will oversee the cross-government approach to coordinating work at the border, bringing together the work of 18 departments across policy, strategy, operational delivery, IT, infrastructure, legislation and security.

Karen joins HMRC from NHS England and has previously worked in the Ministry of Justice, Cabinet Office and as a management consultant in the private sector.

Also today, Chief Executive Jon Thompson confirmed Rachel McLean as interim Director General for Customer Services and David Richardson as interim Director General for Customer Compliance.

This follows the recent announcement that Ruth Owen and Jennie Granger will be leaving HMRC in May.

Rachel is Director of Finance and Planning in Customer Services. She joined HMRC in 2015, and before that was a director at Transport for London.

David is Director of Counter-Avoidance. He joined the Inland Revenue as a trainee inspector in 1979 and has been a director at HMRC since it was formed in 2005 in a wide range of compliance and policy roles.

Rachel and David will be in post until permanent appointments are made following a fair and open competition for the Director General roles."

All of this in spite of the fact that there is a general election and, as such, senior appointments surely ought to be kept in abeyance until a new government is formed.

#HMRC other #gov departments are now in #purdah so no news (unless absolutely essential) until after the #election. https://t.co/j72qlvBuKP

— Julia Penny (@JSPenny) April 24, 2017

Tax does have to be taxing.

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

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The Budget 2016 - Whither Purdah?

As is now sadly the norm, Wednesday's Budget (or rather the Treasury/Chancellor's office) is proving to be more leaky than a sieve.

I am old enough to remember the days when Budgets were cloaked in the veil of purdah, and that anyone who even hinted at leaking details would be lynched.

Now, even the Chancellor happily drops hints to the media in the days leading up to the Budget.

As per the Guardian:

Osborne is expected to use Wednesday’s budget to:

• raise money through a series of stealth taxes including a significant increase in insurance premium tax that will hit motorists, homeowners and tourists
• crack down on a tax avoidance loophole that allows television stars to be paid “off the books”
• save £1.2bn by reforming personal independence payments to the detriment of over 600,000 disabled people
• raise the personal allowance rate at which people start paying tax by £300, bringing it closer to the £12,500 target by 2020
• raise the amount at which people are drawn into the 40p tax rate
• provide incentives to build new market towns and “garden suburbs”
• up to £2,000 in tax allowances for people who sell goods online or rent their home out for some extra money

Whither purdah?

Tax does have to be taxing.

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

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The Demise of Purdah II - Hartley Not Guilty

Yesterday I wrote about Jonathan Hall, a senior information officer at HMRC, who had received bungs from Sun journalist Clodagh Hartley in exchange for leaking stories to the paper.

Whilst Hall had admitted wrongdoing, Hartley stood trial. The verdict is now in, and she has been found not guilty.

As per economia:

"Clodagh Hartley has been cleared of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office, two and a half years after being granted bail, as part of Operation Elveden.

The prosecution alleged that Jonathan Hall, a senior information officer at the Revenue, was paid over £4,000 by News International, a further £13,000 was paid into the account of his girlfriend Marta Bukarewicz – the majority of which was then transferred into his account, for leaks. Bukarewicz was also found not guilty.

Stories leaked to the Sun included details of an advertising campaign for the government website DirectGov, funded by £1.3m of taxpayers money.

On the morning of Budget Day 2010, the Sun also published a “leaked” announcement that there would be a rise in fuel duty.

It was revealed during Hartley’s trial that Hall has already pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office, according to the Guardian."

As I noted yesterday, doubtless Hall is but a single bad apple in HMRC's barrel. I wonder though whether he declared the income to HMRC, and whether HMRC will now cross check to see that he has done so?

Tax does have to be taxing.

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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



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The Demise of Purdah

As loyal readers may recall, I have on occasions bemoaned the fact that Budget Purdah is now a thing of the past.

It seems that one of the reasons (aside from flabby mouthed politicians) for the demise of Purdah, is the fact that an HMRC press officer was supplying The Sun with inside information in exchange for bungs. As per the Guardian:

"A reporter on the Sun newspaper allegedly paid £17,000 to an HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) press officer for confidential information including leaked details of the 2010 budget, an Old Bailey jury heard.

Clodagh Hartley, 40, Whitehall editor of the Sun at the time, was “motivated by acquiring the next big scoop”, while her source, Jonathan Hall, a senior information officer at HMRC, was “motivated by greed”, the court was told.

Stories included details of the 2010 budget, published on budget day, “so readers of the Sun were reading details of the budget before the chancellor had got to his feet in the House of Commons”, said Zoe Johnson QC, prosecuting. Most of the payments were paid into the account of Hall’s live-in girlfriend, Marta Bukarewicz, “to cover his tracks”, it was alleged. Bukarewicz then transferred the money to Hall’s account “deceptively labelled as rent” and kept some money herself as “commission” for “her unlawful efforts”, it was alleged.""

Hall has accepted that he supplied stories to Hartley for which he was paid.

Let us trust that this is a one off, and that Hall is the only bad apple in 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"