Emulating The Banks

The Mail is venting is spleen against HMRC over the claims being sent out by HMRC for tax underpayments (estimated to affect 1.4 million people).

Whilst it is perfectly correct that HMRC reclaims underpaid tax, the issue that wrankles with the Mail is HMRC's response to appeals sent in by many on the basis of the A19 tax concession (which allows claims for underpaid tax to be abandoned under certain circumstances).

HMRC are sending out standardised computer generated rejections of appeals from one centre, stating simply that the appeal does not fall within the A19 concession.

This is a similar approach taken by banks and other financial institutions when rejecting people's claims for excess overdraft charges, mis-sold endowments etc; one that is designed to stone wall claims.

HMRC have belatedly realised that, whilst this approach may be OK for tax professionals (who can fight their corner), doing this to a large number of people who normally do not interact on a daily basis with HMRC (but who make excellent copy - eg widowed pensioners - for tabloids) is very unwise. As such the content and format of the letters is now being reviewed, and a more "personalised" rejection will be sent in the future.

Whatever the format of the rejection, the taxpayer can still appeal and if rejected again can go to the Adjudicator's Office.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

What is TAXWISE?

TAXWISE 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 Taxwise

Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

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"

Staff Morale - Another Survey Result Coming Soon!

Coming soon to a pc near you, the full horror of the staff survey result....

"Staff engagement score for HMRC - 34% - down 2%. Released later this week...

Do you think HMRC is managed well? Also down. Badly...."

The humanity!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

What is TAXWISE?

TAXWISE 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 Taxwise

Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

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"

Staff Morale - Another Survey Result

I understand that the results of this year's civil service staff survey are due to be released this week, and that HMRC's scores are worse than last year's.

Please could someone forward me the survey, or a link to it, as and when it is released?

Thanks.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

What is TAXWISE?

TAXWISE 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 Taxwise

Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

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"

Your Country Needs You!

Despite the ongoing restructuring of HMRC, which will result in a further reduction in staff numbers by approximately 13,000, HMRC still need to take in and train younger recruits who will be the "future" of HMRC.

As such, HMRC are advertising for new recruits for its Tax Professional Development Programme.

Its advertisement describes the work as "fascinating, vital work that helps keep the UK working".

Hyperbole, or reality?

Comments from current employees very welcome!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

What is TAXWISE?

TAXWISE 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 Taxwise

Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

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 Are Not Psychic

Quite rightly HMRC are more than fed up with having to chase up tax credit claimants who do not update them with changes in their circumstances.

The government claims that approximately £400M a year is being overpaid in tax credits, because parents don't tell HMRC about changes in their childcare costs. Approximately 345,000 tax credits paid in 2008/09 (4.5% of the total) contained errors relating to childcare.

Aside from the loss of tax revenue, there are additional costs incurred by HMRC in chasing up and correcting these errors.

Tax credits is just one example of the many of Gordon Brown's ever so complex and unwieldy "tweaks" that he was addicted to making to the tax system.

It is high time that the tax system be radically overhauled and simplified. A good staring point would be to abolish tax credits and raise personal allowances to a decent level, eg £15K.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

What is TAXWISE?

TAXWISE 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 Taxwise

Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

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"

Sign Here, Where It Says "For The Rest of My Life"

How nice to read that, during this time of economic crisis, HMRC is advising struggling businesses applying to defer taxes to "max out" their company credit cards first.

This helpful advice needless to say costs the hapless businesses 20% or more in interest payments, plus a 1.25% credit card handling fee added on by HMRC.

This approach is of course "understandable"; the £4.8 trillion debt built up over the years by our elected representatives needs to be serviced, otherwise there would not be enough money in the kitty to pay our "beloved" MPs and subsidise their bars and restaurants at Westminster.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

What is TAXWISE?

TAXWISE 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 Taxwise

Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

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"