A couple of days ago The Telegraph reported about HMRC staff's furious reaction to Lin Homer's £20K bonus:
"Lin Homer, the chief of HM Revenue and Customs, has been hit by a furious backlash from her staff after accepting a £20,000 bonus.All very well and headline grabbing, except that it is somewhat old news.
Mrs Homer was asked how “you think you can justify” taking the reward on top of a £185,000 salary, while thousands of her civil servants saw the value of their pay packets shrink.In a question and answer session on the HMRC staff intranet, one employee pointed out that the package is more than the sum taken home by secretarial staff in a year.Mrs Homer acknowledged that the bonus has “generated some strong feelings”, adding: “I do get paid a lot”.She is one of a number of senior civil servants to take home five-figure rewards.The employee, writing anonymously, said: “Can you please tell everyone how you think you can justify the £20,000? This is when all my colleagues have had to put up with either a one per cent or no increase on their wages in the last few years, that in real money equates to a wage decrease.
“The bonus you are receiving is actually more than an administrative officer or administrative assistant’s salary!”
The questioner added that, if her performance pay was calculated on the same basis as that for all other staff, it would be 1.95 per cent, or £3,607."
For it was reported on this very site 1 August 2014.
Tax does have to be taxing.
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Homer doesn't give a sod about 'the workers' just look at your working conditions, Morale, fear for the future, lack of support, lack of prospects. YOU ARE ALL a minor irritation she has to put up with to get paid! DONT think you are anything else to her.
ReplyDeleteshite rolls downhill, she and her management team create all the crap and pass it down to you. in return she's rewarded for HER performance!
ReplyDeletethat's life, either shut up and put up with it OR do something about it.
Was it really that long ago?
ReplyDeleteanyways, at least you had the scoop!
Paying this individual any form of bonus is an insult to the staff and taxpayers in general. Employing her in the first place was so incredible as to be crazy given her abysmal track record.
Keyboard warrior action is easy, however, sometimes it is the only option in generating interest, debate and maybe action to put things right. To that end, raising a racket about HMRC may be considered a public duty given the amount of taxpayers money wasted by their useless management.
PAC and NAO make a lot of noise, create a lot of paperwork but do very little to change things. It's only when a prat like Homers predecessor Hartnet make such a mess and are forced to apologise publicly that anyone notices the mess.
The money being wasted goes to big business projects on IT, comms, PR, HR etc, so don't expect the politicos to rattle cages either.
SNAFU
There is a God after all, Karma is, as Karma is!
ReplyDeleteAllegedly, one of the most reviled managers from a diverse background has got his or her comeuppance, having been responsible for probably close on a hundred complaints and grievances against her/him over decades and having taken an allegedly enhanced early bath or some say given an ultimatum, this individual allegedly invested large quantities of the incitement to £eave in property but it has backfired and allegedly value of said property has plume ted with many zeroes attached.
oh joy of joys, a mixed gathering of various retired and serving colleagues raised more than a glass on learning of this alleged news!
Moral - what goes around comes around, reap what ye sow motherfeckers, you get your just deserts in the end managers, be warned, invest wisely, ha ha!;)
^^^
ReplyDeleteNot enough of them get their just deserts. Now if Homer was to get the heave ho, and no golden handshake or not moved on to wreak her misery in another job capacity, I would be more likely to believe in karma.
I and my compatriots would agree wholeheartedly with you, however, it is a start, and the obnoxious creature so justly affected was possibly the worst offender over some 2 1/2 decades. Given that HMRC and one of its predecessors failed to sort this individual out properly, and that politicos have stuck their collective heads either in the sand or up their @rses, whether it's Karma, law of averages, luck or the divine hand of whichever entity you may or may not believe in its just deserts, well deserved and frankly has made and will make a lot of serving and ex. staff happy people as a result.
DeleteAs stated, it's a start, and hopefully similar to 38 degrees, is the start of an avalanche of sorts.
I do hope so mate - for too many years we have had to suffer these fools - I live in hope that the tide will turn, slowly maybe but turn nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteAny roads, 'tis Remembrance Day, and the sacrifice of many young and some not so young lives puts it into perspective. Not the famous "lions led by donkeys" statement, simply that HMRC management are insignificant by comparison to the fallen.
ReplyDeleteI would wish to see those managers dwell upon the errors of their ways after giving due respect today, they are as human and fallible as the rest of us and could learn a wee bit about how to treat others - used to go along the lines of "... as you would wish to be treated." A lesson forgotten by them I fear!
the people you talk about have no moral compass, they are not worthy to be on the same land as our brave fallen!!!
ReplyDeleteIn my you I was a member of crew aboard numerous Revenue & Customs Cutters (patrol boats). We relied on each other for our lives at times, and in those days the Skipper was usually a 2 ringer (PO or EO). Some of us at the time were even 2nd in Command as AO's, and that included me.
ReplyDeleteNever mind the asset value of the boat and equipment, as a close knit team we were responsible for a crew of 6 or 10, and anyone else in the vicinity. That's lives basically.
Would anyone out there trust any of the management idiots these days with those responsibilities? I very much doubt it, the management these days can't navigate around a whiteboard let alone the Dover Straights. Lack of moral compass, this lot would drown in an empty bath let alone afloat.
You=yoof, or youth, depending on your age!;)
DeleteI've seen HMRC at work, the on the floor grunts totally professional, ALL the desk jockeys investigators an ABSOLUTE waste of time! 120 days and still counting, ZERO evidence Zero charges, vehicle still seized. its going to be a big bill I send them for costs loss of earnings legal fees etc. and the tax payer will foot the bill, sorry tax payers.
ReplyDeleteObviously not aware of circumstances but loss of vehicle indicates road fuel or frontier related offence, and that the vehicle was seized on that basis. Assume they gave you a notice of seizure which also notifies you of your rights including appeal.
DeleteIf, as you say, no evidence, then you may need to consider legal advice for the bigger picture. Depending on the circumstances though, they should have considered restoring the vehicle to you for a fee and possibly any revenue they believe was due. Only you can decide how to take things forward. A good start for you would be to demand a copy of any record of interview or tape, if you do not already possess them. Also send them a recorded delivery or swear-posted letter ( notary public needed) stating your contentions and circumstances. However, the notice of seizure would have covered all that.
Good luck, and remember, the law works both ways.
many thanks for your comments, I can tell that you know what you're talking about.
ReplyDeleteAll options being explored appeal on restoration is one “torpedo” that is running.
The 2nd torpedo is the appeal on condemnation. taken then 100 days and counting! I've got their bill ready lol These are the untouchables and unaccountables ..... or so they think
HMRC have to adhere to the law of the land just as the Police do. Abuse of process is quite common within HTC usually due to, ineptitude on the part of Investigators and/or CPS.
DeleteThere is much legislation to protect the rights of individuals and strangely
HMRC even refer to criminals and suspects as customers, well, the pink and fluffy brigade do!
They took a seies of hits over their handling of a number of high profile cases
ncluding London City Bond and a drugs case under the old Customs regime
where the Assistant Chief Investigation Officer was referred to by the Judge as an unreliable witness. There is a lack of respect for them now from crims,
the legal system, accountancy profession and other law enforcement agencies. This is a pity as the old Customs ID were very good at their job, but
as I understand things now, the management above SO level are desk jockeys
with no investigation experience, so heaven help the poor sods at the sharp
end.
It's a pity, but it reflects the downward slide since the IR effectively took over a once great HM Customs & Excise department. The IR could not even get a prosecution home against a comedian like Ken Dodd, courtesy of Dave Hartnett who then went on to fame as head of HMRC, the rest is history as they say. If you are lucky, you might just end up with your paperwork in front of one of the few that knows and cares, but don't hold your breath!
If it is a road fuel offence, some of them are absolute offences requiring no admission of guilt i.e. road vehicle running on red or laundered fuel or kero.
the law works quickly if its the police, you are innocent until proved guilty, you have rights and there is a time frame to work to. With the HMRC it's a completely different matter you are seen to be guilty and despite any evidence to the contrary you are deemed guilty and it's down to you to prove yourself innocent. HMRC are so inefficient that the process takes a totally unacceptable length of time, during which compensation claims against the HMRC for disproportionate and unfair treatment mount up
ReplyDeleteits not fuel related, trailer was loaded, locked and sealed by others, reported and documented to be one item but turned out to be cigarettes. we collected the load in good faith and unwittingly brought it into the U.K. We have a fleet of trucks, we are not scared of hard work and would never knowingly put our business and reputation at risk in this way. Like dumb asses we were duped (yes I know, they all say that) and now we are paying the price. Life lesson there eh. I cannot understand why HMRC are taking so long to investigate this case 100 Days and counting during which time our vehicle is sitting in a compound rotting away, we are being treated as guilty of fraud(which we would be if we had knowingly and with premeditation brought the product into the U.K.) If a haulier collects a load reported to be normal items not subject to additional duties, they have documentation describing the load to that effect, they have no opportunity to see it loaded, and have no reason to suspect any wrong doing............ what more could we have done?
ReplyDeleteAssume your company has employed a Solicitor, if so get hi to rattle their doors, it's what you are paying for.
DeleteHe/she should be able to deal with any abuse of process, which may well be the CPS and not the poor sod of a case officer.
Obviously can't get drawn into technical issues, but as you say, not the first time they will have dealt with the situation. Burden of proof on them. However, as you will know, any vehicle, vessel etc. used for smuggling is liable to forfeiture or seizure. Whether that should be maintained is a separate issue which is obviously your sticking point. Belong to RHA or anything similar, Chamber of Commerce, local/national press, MP or TV radio etc.
Get them on the case, remain civil with the Investigators (just doin their job Guv!)
yeah, we are on it. we exercised full co operation and were polite / civil to the investigators. absolutely no axe to grind with them, but the system and length of time taken cannot be justified. Imagine they come to you, take your car, lap top, all comms, all accounts records then walk away and let you stew for 6 Months. not easy to remain calm, but we'll get it sorted.Cheers
ReplyDelete