IT Matters - Santander Payment Problems

Please can I have verification as to the veracity of this comment just posted by a loyal reader on my site?:

"HMRC Online Payment Service courtesy of Santander is at a standstill."

Thanks.

UPDATE


The issue relates to Santander as per HMRC:

"Urgent message

The Bank of Santander is having problems with their Bill Pay service that customers use to pay their tax by credit card or debit card.  We are working with them to sort this out.

There are other ways you can pay us. These are:

• by Faster Payments - you can find out more at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/payinghmrc/selfassessment.htm#5
• at your bank
• at the Post Office
• ay Debit/Credit card

you can find out more about these other methods of payment at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/payinghmrc/selfassessment.htm

Please continue to try to pay us, but if your payment is late because of the problems Santander is experiencing you will not have to pay a penalty or interest for late payment.

You can still send us your tax return as usual."

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



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"

Hanging On The Telephone

Commiserations to Stuart Jones who has been hanging on the telephone waiting fro HMRC to answer for at least 32 minutes this morning:

"I have now been waiting 32 minutes on an 0845 number for @HMRCgovuk to answer. More money to Cable & Wireless & 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



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"

D Day

Today is D Day for those wishing to submit their online tax returns for 2012 on time.

Methinks it will be a busy day as, apparently, 1.8M have yet to file their returns!

Good luck with that then!

Please let me know if the system manages to take the strain.

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



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"

HSBC Recruits Dave Hartnett

I see that HSBC has recruited Dave Hartnett (who retired from HMRC last year) who, along with others, will head a new financial crime committee that will be set up to ensure tighter compliance with tightening global regulations.

The setting up of the committee follows HSBC's settlement in December of allegations by US regulators that it had moved billions of dollars in cash from its affiliate in Mexico to the US, despite concerns raised with HSBC that the money could only have involved proceeds from illegal drugs.

The $1.9BN fine was the largest ever imposed on a bank.

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



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's 0845gate

My thanks to John Stokdyk Editor of AccountingWeb for crediting me with playing a small part in outing HMRC's 0845gate:

"Credit Ken Frost for this one    1 thanks

John Stokdyk PM | Wed, 30/01/2013 - 08:31 | Permalink

The inveterate blogger has been banging on about HMRC 0845 numbers for years and highlighted the paragraph in December's NAO report that confirmed the tax department had no oversight into the amounts its telephone supplier was collecting from the helplines.

His persistence may well have filtered through to MPs like Austin Mitchell. Unfortunately, it seems that bad publicity and embarrassment are what it takes to effect meaningful change within the tax department."

Sadly it is the case with mismanaged public sector and private sector organs that the only way to push them to change for the better is to push them in this manner; inept politicians, executives and inept "political managers" only react when a bright light is shone upon their incompetence!

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



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"

Hanging On The Telephone - Is Homer Telling Porkies?

As loyal readers are well aware the subject of calling HMRC on the phone often appears as a subject on this site, along with the issue of callers racking up phone bills as they hang on the phone waiting for an answer.

In April 2011 I wrote about that very subject:

"The issue wrt 0845 has been around for a number of years, I commented on it in 2008 and again in 2009. One anonymous commentator at the time noted that the 0845 numbers are free (along with various comments that this site was shite etc:). That being the case why does the Treasury Select Committee say that they are not free, and why did Strathie not correct them?

In the video Strathie states (with a degree of exasperation) that HMRC do not make any money from the 0845 numbers. As I noted in 2009 I have no reason to disbelieve this statement. However, it is possible that Cable and Wireless (who provide the service) offset part of the fees that they charge HMRC with the revenue stream from the 0845 numbers."

Here we are, almost two years later, and Lin Homer has finally admitted that Cable & Wireless (the phone service provider for HMRC) is making a nice little earner out of the contract from HMRC's hapless callers.

Apparently it is not a "huge" sum though, "less than £1M"!

Homer also admitted that HMRC get some "freebies" out of the deal.

And why not?

After all, in this "bugger thy neighbour" world why shouldn't a government department make a little on the side as well?

Homer, "oddly" though, wouldn't tell the PAC yesterday how much Cable and Wireless make. As per the Telegraph:

“We are renegotiating this contract over the next 12 months. I am loathe to give out how much I am prepared to pay for this in a public committee.”

Her refusal to answer is "interesting", because in December 2012 I noted that the NAO report on HMRC's call handling stated that HMRC didn't have any oversight as to how much Cable & Wireless made:

"Oh and by the way, whilst my dander is up, the fact that HMRC don't know how much Cable & Wireless (the telephony provider) make out of the contract, nor does HMRC have any right to oversight, is farking disgraceful!

Page 8 para 13:

"Cable & Wireless provides HMRC’s phone service and receives a proportion of the call charges borne by the customer. HMRC has chosen not to receive a share of the revenue and does not know how much Cable & Wireless receives because it has no contractual access to this information."

Now what does this mean?

It means either the NAO report is wrong (eg HMRC had given it erroneous information), or that Homer has told a porkie to PAC yesterday.

Which is it?

Oh wait,  Amyas Morse, the head of the National Audit Office has also remembered what was in his report in December. He suggested that HMRC had withheld information about profits on the phone lines, telling Mrs Homer that he had repeatedly asked for the data and not been given it:

“I am surprised that it has only come out today."

Cough!

Methinks NAO were made fools of by HMRC.

Tomorrow I will be discussing Homer's views on HMRC's letter handling "capabilities".

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



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"

Tax Simplification? - My Arse!

As per Andrew Neil:

"Tolley's Tax Handbook, the bible of British tax, now 11,500 pages long. Doubled under Gordon Brown. And still growing under G Osborne."

Whatever happened to the Orifice for Tax Simplification?

As per Gauke in July 2010:

"The tax system created by the previous government was overly complex and has made the tax affairs of millions of families and businesses across the UK extremely complicated.

We need to reduce the complexities in our tax system and the coalition is committed to delivering that goal."

However, as I noted at the time:

"..politicians by their very nature abhor 'simplification' as it makes them 'redundant' in the eyes of the voters."

Some two and half years on and nothing has changed for the better!

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



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 Offers Relief For Tax Avoidance Schemes

The FT Adviser has published an article under the misleading headline of "HMRC Settlement To Offer Tax Evaders Relief On Losses" (avoidance, not evasion, as far as I can see) wrt HMRC's offer of 40% tax relief to investors who deliberately make a loss on investment.

HMRC has said investors in tax avoidance schemes designed to make a loss to offset tax liabilities will be offered the chance to claim relief the money they have physically invested in return for payment of tax against other invested capital, as part of a new settlement.

Investors will be able to recoup the equivalent of their contributions to such schemes, minus anything spent on “unallowable fees” including tax advice or “circular funding arrangements”.

Sole trader schemes are schemes which have sought to make a loss through a self-employed trade that would involve substantial expenditure said to be incurred in the trade, or a write-off of expenditure or the value of rights or assets through “generally accepted accounting practice”.

Under the new policy, the investor can claim relief on whatever amount they have invested and not anything invested via a loan or other means. Relief will be 40% of the amount invested personally by the trader.

HMRC said:

“Whilst not of general applicability to sole trader schemes, within the specific terms of this settlement opportunity HMRC is prepared to settle with individual sole traders, irrespective of whether or not the promoter or the other participants in the scheme continue to disagree with HMRC’s view.”

This new handling strategy will not apply to cases already adopted for criminal investigation.

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



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 Targets The One In Twelve

There are, apparently, 50,000 businesses that have failed to submit VAT returns. That represents 1 in 12 of the total of 600,000 businesses which should submit a monthly VAT return to HMRC.

HMRC, not unreasonably, are a tad fed up and have issued a warning that if the recalcitrant companies do not submit a return and pay any outstandings by 28 February then HMRC will take a "closer look" at their tax affairs.

Jayne Simpson, Senior Indirect Tax Manager at Menzies accountants, is quoted by Director of Finance:

“There has always been the threat of penalty charges, interest and even criminal investigation for unpaid tax. But this announcement explicitly states that HMRC will take a much closer look at the tax affairs of those who do not pay what VAT they owe by 28 February.

The implication is that these businesses could be exposing themselves to the risk of a tax investigation, which can be very costly and disruptive. At that point once HMRC has a business under review, if further anomalies are found the penalties can only increase.
 
Because VAT can be so complex, businesses may be unaware that they owe anything. So if you have already received a demand from HMRC, do not ignore it. Even if you think you owe nothing, its best to straighten matters out with them. 

They will not go away.”

Bottom line, do not ignore correspondence/demands from 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



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 Employers' Bank Account In Cumbernauld

Update: from April 2013 employers will pay one HMRC bank account

Employers who make a payment to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) by:

• Bacs Direct Credit
• Faster Payments by online/telephone banking
• CHAPS

will make their payments to a single bank account from April 2013. From month 01 of the 2013-14 tax year payments should be made to the Accounts Office Cumbernauld account.

HMRC has started to send employers information about this change ready for 2013-14.

Source 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



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 Winds Companies Up

Data released by HMRC on Monday shows that the number of UK companies which HMRC sought to have wound up, due to failure to pay tax, increased from 3,367 in tax year 2011 to 5,302 in tax year 2012 (an increase of 57%).

Why?

Wilkins Kennedy LLP are of the view that HMRC is being pressurised by the government to take a more hardline stance (in order to squeeze more tax revenue out of the system).

Anthony Cork, a partner at Wilkins Kennedy, is quoted by Tax-News:

"When businesses run into trouble, often one of the first things they do is try to delay tax payments to help manage their cashflow. This puts businesses on a collision course with HMRC.

HMRC does not like being used as a 'lender of first resort,' and is keen to dispel the image that it is a soft touch or that the unauthorised late payment of taxes is an acceptable way for a business to resolve cash flow problems."

Cork is of the view that HMRC could intervene earlier to help businesses manage their tax bills:

"HMRC often lets tax debts spiral out of control, which leaves it with little choice but to resort to winding-up petitions to recover large amounts of unpaid taxes."

Cork also noted that it is now harder to receive help from HMRC's Time to Pay scheme.

Is this the case I wonder?

The fact that the companies were having problems with paying their taxes indicates that the businesses themselves were in trouble.

Was this trouble a "temporary blip" that could be resolved if the company was given more time, or was this a symptom of an underlying long term problem with the business?

It is not HMRC's role to act as a lender of last resort.

Businesses fail for many reasons, it is always easy to blame banks and creditors (eg HMRC) for pushing them under but it is not always right to lay the blame at the door of banks and creditors.

I would welcome input, views and comments from SME's, loyal readers etc which have asked for help from HMRC wrt delaying tax payment etc.


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



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 Appoints NED's

HMRC has annoucned the appointment of some new Non Executive Directors (NED's).

The full text of the press release is below:

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has announced the appointment of three new non-executive board members, as part of its ongoing governance arrangements.

Volker Beckers and Norman Pickavance joined the main board on 1 January 2013. John Whiting will take up a position on the board from 1 April 2013. The three will take on posts that became vacant after John Spence left last year, Phil Hodkinson left at the end of January this year and Ian Barlow’s success in the competition to become HMRC’s lead non-executive in September 2012.

In addition to main board roles, Volker Beckers will chair a new Scrutiny Committee, Norman Pickavance will join the People, Nominations and Governance Committee and John Whiting will chair the Audit and Risk Committee from 1 April 2013.

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke MP, said:

“These appointments provide a rich mix of board-level experience. They have a lot to offer the HMRC board and will bring new and further capability and credible challenge to board discussions and to the new executive team.”

Chief Executive Lin Homer said:

“I am delighted with these appointments. They all have vast experience to share with HMRC which will help us as we face the challenges of the future. I’d also like to thank both John Spence and Phil Hodkinson for their valuable contributions to HMRC over the past five years and wish them all the best in their future endeavours.”

HMRC also announced the appointment of Edwina Dunn, Janet Williams, Leslie Ferrar and Paul Smith to further strengthen HMRC board committees. Edwina Dunn will take up an adviser role to the main board, Janet Williams will be appointed to the Scrutiny and People, Nominations and Governance Committees, and Leslie Ferrar and Paul Smith will take up roles on the Audit and Risk Committee.

Lead non-executive Ian Barlow said:

“These appointments create a group of non executives with a wide range of skills and experience, including the management of change in large-scale organisations, customer service, building and advising small businesses, and financial and tax expertise. We look forward to working with our executive colleagues on the board to help them achieve HMRC’s challenging objectives.”

Notes for editors
1. Volker Beckers has been Group Chief Executive of RWE Npower since January 2010. He has led large change programmes and has a very strong focus on public and customer engagement. He joined the energy company RWE AG in 1993 and became Group Chief Financial Officer of RWE Npower in 2003. Before joining RWE he worked in the IT industry in Germany and ran CompuNet’s (today Computacenter) education and training centre, before moving to their consultancy arm.

2. Norman Pickavance has experience in HR and organisational development, most recently as Group HR & Communications Director of WM Morrisons Supermarkets Plc, a 130,000-strong organisation. He previously worked in manufacturing and other international and high tech businesses. He has also been a Non-Executive Director with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and has worked at board level for over a decade.

3. John Whiting is currently the Tax Director of the Office of Tax Simplification and the Tax Policy Director of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT). He will be stepping down from the latter role but will remain involved with the CIOT. Previously, he was a tax partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers for 25 years. He was awarded the OBE in 2008 for services to the tax profession.

4. Edwina Dunn is the co-founder of Dunnhumby, which became the leader in data mining and analysis, using the insight to help improve customers’ retail and brand experience, including the key to the introduction of the market-leading Tesco Clubcard.

5. Janet Williams has recently retired as a Deputy Assistant Commissioner from the Metropolitan Police Service, where she led the protective security commands. She has a breadth of experience in serious and organised crime investigations and was the national law enforcement lead for cyber-crime.

6. Leslie Ferrar was the Treasurer to TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. Leslie also holds a number of other non-executive positions. She was previously a tax partner at KPMG.

7. Paul Smith is a former Finance Director of Ford UK and has board-level experience from across both the public and private sectors in health, housing, transport and other government departments.

8. The board will comprise six non executives and six executives, six women and six men.

9. The position of Lead Non Executive was created after the departure of Mike Clasper as Chairman of HMRC in August 2012.

10. The new non-executive directors will be paid £15,000 a year; those who chair board committees will be paid £20,000 a year.

11. Picture caption: HMRC’s non-executive board members (left to right): Phil Hodkinson (leaving HMRC at end of January), Colin Cobain, Ian Barlow, Philippa Hird, Volker Beckers, Edwina Dunn, Norman Pickavance.

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



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"

The Joy of Tax

Source Angry Britain.

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



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"

What's Your Experience of Dealing With HMRC?

My thanks to a loyal reader who dropped me a note yesterday, expressing his frustrations with dealing with HMRC.

He has given me permission to publish it, see below.

Comments and experiences of other loyal readers are, as always, welcome.

Text of message:

"The experience of dealing with HMRC for SA is awful compared to the system which applied 20 years ago. 

No local offices (although they are owned by a company based in a tax haven, so is HMRC still paying the lease on them?!).

No local tax inspectors.

Others report they are now treated as guilty of whatever HMRC decides unless they prove their innocence, this is not just true of formal investigations.

A telephone system which is so overloaded that it was quicker to write a letter - why don't they use an 0800 system with calls returned at busy times by staff to avoid any holding costs? 

But now my letters sent to one of the central HMRC offices get lost, and anyway the timescale to answer them has slipped.

Codes needed for online filing of SA forms and requested on 8.01.13 (not earlier because I had hardware and broadband problems) do not arrive as promised. Even the "contractual" 7 day delay is surely ridiculous for an IT system. 

Keep up the good work with this website. 

Thanks."

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



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"

The Joy of Affluence

In October last year I wrote about the expansion of HMRC's "Affluent Unit":

"Much has been made by some, eg Danny "Beaker" Alexander, about the expansion of HMRC's "Affluent Unit" (the team set up in October 2011 that targets tax evasion by "wealthy" people - those worth more than £1M).

Beaker said the other week that an extra 100 inspectors and specialists will be recruited to scrutinise the tax affairs of the 500,000 wealthiest people in the country."

However, despite all the puff and bluster of Beaker, nothing tangible has thus far been done by HMRC to recruit these extra 100 inspectors.

Fear not HMRC have realised that they actually now need to back up Beaker's words with some action, on Wednesday this week HMRC announced that they will begin recruiting the extra 100 inspectors. Adverts, allegedly, will start to appear at the end of this month (some 4/5 months or so after Beaker made his announcement, there's dynamism for you!).

Oh, and by the way, could someone please tell me why HMRC simply doesn't merge the "Affluent Unit" with its "High Net Worth Unit"; thus saving money and resources and focusing its skills/knowledge in one single department?

Here is HMRC's announcement in full (I am gemused to see that the definition of wealthy people targeted covers many of our elected representatives!):

"The tax team dedicated to ensuring the better off play by the rules is set to expand, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said today.

The Affluent Compliance Team is to begin recruitment of 100 additional inspectors as the work of the unit expands.

In addition to taxpayers with an annual income of more than £150,000 and wealth of between £2.5 million and £20 million, the unit will also cover those with wealth in the range £1 million to £2.5 million.

By the end of December the unit had brought in an extra £75 million in tax - well ahead of expectations – with a target of £586 million by the end of 2015.

Exchequer Secretary David Gauke said:

“HMRC set up the new Affluent Teams from some of the £917 million we made available in 2010. The team has made a great start by bringing in £75 million in additional tax that would otherwise have been lost to the country.

“The vast majority of people pay their way. Dodging tax is immoral, illegal and unaffordable and the minority who cheat are increasingly finding that, thanks to the work of the Affluent Team, they have made a big mistake.”

Roger Atkinson, Director of the Affluent Teams, said:

“In September 2012 the Government announced an additional investment of £5 million, enabling us to recruit an extra 100 inspectors. We will recruit from within HMRC and externally and the new team will be fully operational by April and focused on delivering an additional £75 million a year.

“We want to recruit people with external experience and appropriate qualifications for inspector and lead case director roles. We want people with recent commercial and corporate experience in personal tax to help us understand our customer base. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the forefront, tackling those who do not pay the right tax.

“Good quality intelligence is central to catching the cheats and so we are expanding our Affluent Intelligence Unit fourfold.

“This is very good news for all honest taxpayers.”

Notes for editors

1. The affluent population covers those with income over £150,000 or wealth between £2.5 and £20 million, consisting of about 300,000 people.

2. The team currently has 200 staff based in17 teams in six locations across the UK.

3. Common characteristics of the Affluent Compliance Team’s targets:

Wealthy people who

-habitually use avoidance schemes
-have a low effective Rate of Tax across their total income
-have bank accounts in Switzerland who appear to be understating their tax liability
-fail to file their Self Assessment return on time
-avoid or evade Stamp Duty on property purchases
-have UK and offshore property portfolios

4. Adverts for the 100 additional inspectors will appear towards the end of January."

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



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"

IT Matters - HMRC Promise No Online Downtime

AccountingWEB have been assured by HMRC that, in the run up to the 31 January online filing deadline for self assessment tax returns, HMRC's online services will be fully available.

This reassurance comes in the wake of an AccountingWEB member reporting a "website currently unavailable" response last Thursday evening.

HMRC told AccountingWEB its SA site had slowed down between 19:45 and 20:15 due to testing, but was never completely off-line and was back to full capacity immediately afterwards.

"The SA Online system experienced a very limited period of slow functionality due to testing for around 30 minutes. The system remained working, but we apologise to any users who experienced a slow service. Full functionality returned once the test was complete.

There is no downtime planned between now and 31 January."

In the event that any loyal readers experience issues wrt online filing, in the run up to the 31 January deadline, please feel free to let me know.

Thanks.

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



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"

The Grim RIPA

As the power of HMRC grows, and the political pressure to bring in more tax revenue increases, so does HMRC's temptation to spy on taxpayers.

The Telegraph reports that an FOI request shows that HMRC officials made almost 14,400 authorised views of "communications data" on taxpayers during tax evasion investigations.

This compares to more than 11,500 such views in 2010, an increase of almost 25%.

HMRC uses the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA), the same act used by local councils to spy on their residents, to access details on what websites are viewed by taxpayers, where a mobile phone call was made or received and the date and time of emails, texts and phone calls.

From October 2011 to the end of September 2012, HMRC was given 172 authorisations for "directed surveillance", covert surveillance, mainly in public places.

HMRC won't tell the media how many times the surveillance has led to a successful prosecution for tax evasion, or whether those found to be innocent are told that they have been spied on.

HMRC have also refused to disclose how many times it had been given warrants to intercept and read peoples' private emails, or listen to their phone calls.

An HMRC spokesman said:

“Our use of these powers is subject to regular independent inspection, ensuring it is both proportionate and lawful."

The use of RIPA is not well regulated, as evidenced by the absurdly petty nature of RIPA surveillance carried out by local councils.

Power corrupts!

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



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"

RTI - The Straw That Breaks The Camel's Back

With the deadline for Real Time Information (RTI) looming ever closer Julie Palmer, a partner at Begbies Traynor, has warned that the new system (coupled with HMRC's more "assertive" approach to tax debt) may tip some companies over the edge.

She is quoted in the Telegraph:

"We don’t know if there will be political pressure to support struggling companies or to be tougher on them and collect outstanding taxes. But what this will give HMRC is the visibility to spot arrears more quickly and to react more quickly.” 

She added that the change is “one of the most fundamental changes to the PAYE tax system since 1944”.

“At a time when businesses are already feeling the strain, the potential for quicker demands of additional payments could potentially push them over the edge."

Additionally companies will need to invest in new payroll software, or update their current systems to comply with RTI; these costs have to be borne by the companies.

Alarmingly around 25% of companies recently surveyed are "blissfully unaware" that RTI is coming.

There will be tears before bedtime!

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



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"

RTI Countdown Clock

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



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"

TV Programme Enquiry

We’re a leading television production company doing some research for a UK broadcaster for a proposed programme about the tax system. We’re keen to speak to people about their recent experiences of dealing with HMRC.

Whether you are an individual or a business, if you think we may be interested in your story or have information you’d like to share, we would like to hear from you. We will treat your information in confidence.

Please contact us by email at research@truenorth.tv

Thank you.

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



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 Hiring Compliance Accountants

HM Revenue & Customs

Posted

10 January 2013

Ref

1299762 / 1297772

Location

Opportunities Nationwide

Job Role

Accountant, Compliance, Financial Accountant, Forensics, Insolvency, Management Accountant, Part/Newly Qualified, Tax

Sector

Accounting Practice, Financial Services, Law, Public Sector/Charity

Contract Type

Permanent

Hours

Full Time, Part Time

Salary

£35,232 - £42,865. Grade 7 £46,983 - £61,590

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



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"

FOI The Cost of Lever Arch Files

Following on from last week's article about the £8 paid per unit by HMRC for lever arch files, in the absence of any response from HMRC/Number 10 or the Treasury to my tweet requesting details about the costs, I have submitted an FOI to HMRC requesting the unit price of said files.

It will be interesting to see what form of response I receive.

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



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"

Unfarkingbelieveable!

Yesterday's article about HMRC's £8 lever arch files appears to opened up a can of worms. My thanks to a loyal reader who posted this comment about a number of issues (including the cost of moving a PC from one desk to another, and health and safety issues):

"If, as I suspect, paper usage (wastage) has increased, then sustainability is a misnomer. They have to pay to have the damn stuff shredded, at which point they cease ownership, it then goes for recycling and processing and becomes recycled, at which point they pay over the odds, probably with no volume discount FFS!

It is all smoke and mirrors, its not their money so why should they worry about discounts etc?

Anyone asked how much it costs to move a PC from one desk to another? You might be surprised as well as disgusted.

get an FOI on Mapely non-adherence to H&S and fire regulations when it comes to buildings - more surprises. One of their largest buildings had firedoors that were so poor that the seals wouldn't stop smoke and heat to such an extent the Fire Brigade had to warn them twice and almost caused the building to be closed before remedial work was undertaken.

Other SNAFU's have included obstructing fire escape routes with boxes of files, whiteboards etc. and then moving the whiteboards to clear the obstruction but then finding they have now obstructed the fire extinguishers! Of course, an inanimate object like a whiteboard couldn't cause problems, could it? Yep, they were so dangerous because of the lack of space in a lot of offices that people were tripping over the wide legs. Solution, application of hazard marking sticky tape and retention of whiteboards!!!

Then there was the evacuation of a set of offices because of a suspect package in the post room, did they evacuate staff via nearest fire escape or safe secondary route, nope, they made the staff walk past the postroom, despite protestations from those that new the risks, not only did this put the staff at risk from immediate contamination, it also risked spreading the contamination to the outside world. Containment would have failed and the rest could have been history. Very luckily the package did not contain an airborne pathogen. Complaints were made, the management responsible still occupy the same positions. The opposition only has to be lucky once.

HMRC management are useless, and at times plain dangerous, nobody takes them to task so the situations continue. Ce'st La Vie'"

Is HMRC really as badly run as this, or are these isolated "one off" issues?

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



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"