HMRC had plans to visit between 80-90 agents at the end of this month, as part of a pilot to gather the views of "low performing" agents.
"Low performing", as defined by HMRC, being agents whose clients' filing or payment performance for corporation tax and self assessment had been judged of "insufficient" quality.
Hmmm, I wonder what "insufficient quality" actually means?
Anyhoo, worried agents can breath a sigh of relief, HMRC have suspended their plans for the visits.
For why?
Taxation reports that concerns about the pilot were expressed from the representative bodies on the Joint Tax Agent Strategy Steering Group, as such more time will be given to discussion of the matter.
Tax does have to be taxing.
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The Travel & Subsistence budget has most probably been spent on Pacesetter boards & consultants.
ReplyDeleteTry referring to an HMIC or PAC report that stated the previous "task force" approach to frontier and inland controls which involved removing staff from the front line to err..reinforce the front line and involved air fares, purchase of second homes, hire car contracts and absurd hotel fees including cancellations when having to move a group of people to another part of the UK. It cost a fortune, but they wouldn't recreate Frankenstein's Monster again, would they?
Delete"Low performing", as defined by HMRC, being agents whose clients' filing or payment performance for corporation tax and self assessment had been judged of "insufficient" quality.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I wonder what "insufficient quality" actually means?
Has HMRC ever actually used either of the terms "low performing" or "insufficient quality in the context of this initiative? If not you might be best to ask Taxation what they mean.
In the meantime, HMRC's press release of 23 August, which I've no doubt you read when you were researching this piece, sets out the criteria being used to choose participants. Plenty else for you to get your teeth stuck into there too, I would have thought.
Stew G
I'm fascinated by the term "low performing " being applied to agents because their clients are "low performing". Perhaps HMRC should be more honest. Are they saying they don't want "low performing agents"? If so, what are they going to do with the "low performing" clients? Educate them (fat chance), hope they improve of their own accord (fat chance) or just forget about them because most of them, without an agent, would do SFA.
ReplyDeleteStewart,
DeleteRead the 23 August press release if you're fascinated; it's all there.
Stew G
Pot, kettle, black!
ReplyDeleteLow performing, insufficient quality, sounds like some of the content from another watered down NAO report into HMRC.
Can't expect the government to sort out either of them, although if you repeat everything you claim a minimum of 3 times it is so.
Seems to work for the customers though!
Don't forget agents who never open their post from HMRC. I've seen literally thousands of pieces of post to a particular agent that they never opened...
ReplyDelete