HMRC's Dog's Dinner

Proving once again that there is a world of difference between what the government says and does, Osborne's actions wrt quarterly tax returns show he has no interest in reducing the regulatory burdens on the self employed and SME's

Osborne announced last Wednesday that tax returns will have to be filed four times a year from 2020 using apps and the HMRC website.

All very well and dandy, if it cost the taxpayers nothing in terms of time and money to quadruple their tax submissions and if ambitious HMRC IT projects actually worked.

John Longworth, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, is quoted by the Mail on Sunday:

"‘It’s difficult enough for businesses to deal with HMRC as it is without removing any of their face-to-face or telephone contact. Having digital might end up being a complete mess. We’re going to have to watch it very carefully."

Simon Baylis, partner at accountancy firm Moore Stephens, is just as scathing:

"You just know what’s going to happen if the self-employed are required to make quarterly payments. Many struggle to do self-assessment once a year. There will be a huge penalty issue, with disputes over people being on holiday at the end of a quarter or being sick. It will be an absolute dog’s dinner and I am very worried about it.

We haven’t got the detail yet and 2020 may seem a long way off but more and more businesses are going to be lobbying the Government over this. The Government is not thinking about the real world. In an ideal world, of course, it would be good, but in practice the self-employed and landlords are not bookkeepers.

It is ironic as quarterly reporting by FTSE 100 companies to their shareholders has just been dropped as being too burdensome."

My humble questions are as follows:

1 How can this save taxpayers, and indeed HMRC, time and money if the number of submissions is quadrupled?

2 How does reporting your tax affairs four times every year make any difference to the reality of an individual's or SME's tax position?

We have ended up but vassals of the State's bureaucracy!


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"

HMRC Phone Glitch

I understand that yesterday's helpline glitch was fixed by mid afternoon.

@ken_frost Fixed by mid-afternoon. Still bloody frustrating. Osborne hits my productivity yet again. #grinninggit

— Stuart Jones (@StuartJones) November 27, 2015

Everything is now working hunky dory!

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"

Glitch on HMRC Phone Lines

HMRC helpline facing longer delays than usual because of technical issues. Longer than 45 minutes (the norm)?

— Stuart Jones (@StuartJones) November 26, 2015

Just discovered what technical issues are with HMRC helplines (which are causing longer delays than normal). They can't hear you!!! #tax

— Stuart Jones (@StuartJones) November 26, 2015

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"

Autumn Statement 2015 - Key Points

A brief summary of the key points of Osborne's 2015 Autumn Statement has been published in the Telegraph.

Much rest on HMRC's brave new digital future, and us lowly taxpayers being given our own digital tax accounts.

What could possibly go wrong?

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"

#AutumnStatement Live

As Osborne takes to the stage for the third time this year, follow his Autumn Statement (or Budget if you prefer to call it that) live here.


#AutumnStatement Tweets
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"

HMRC Wins Digital Project of The Year

HMRC has won ‘Digital Project of the Year’ in awards held on 18 November.

The award recognises the progress HMRC has made in its ongoing digital transformation.

Specifically, the award recognises the Multi-Channel Digital Tax Platform. MDTP gives HMRC the agility and speed required by a digital-first organisation, while fully meeting requirements around legacy systems and security policies.

MDTP’s microservice architecture enables multiple agile teams to rapidly build, deploy and operate services, with enhancements going live almost daily.

Mark Dearnley, Chief Digital and Information Officer at HMRC, is quoted by Business Wire:

“The Tax Platform is the foundation on which the Department’s digital future is being built. We can now deliver new services in just weeks not months, and make changes in hours not weeks. 

When people talk about inspirational use of technology, this is the kind of project they mean.”

Ryan Sikorsky, co-founder and Director at Equal Experts, said

“It's wonderful to have our work recognised by judges at the UK IT Industry awards. It’s testimony to the power of our collaborative approach – we’re proud to have helped HMRC become a more open, digitally capable organisation, one with a strong focus on the needs of the public.”

Well then it seems that, on the IT side at least, HMRC is a success story!

Comments anyone?

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"

HMRC's Secret Scottish Letters

HMRC will be sending out approximately 2.2 million letters, between 2nd and 11th of December, to those people that it has identified as being Scottish.

However, for reasons best known to HMRC, the letters will contain no reply address or phone number.

As per Kate Upcraft:

"Following on from the announcement that the Scottish Rate of Income Tax (SRIT) will be made public as part of the Scottish parliament budget on 16th December, HMRC have informed stakeholders what their timetable of comms will be. 

A letter will be sent to the 2.2m taxpayers that HMRC have identified as Scottish between 2nd and 11th December. The letter will confirm that based on their records they have identified the person as a Scottish taxpayer subject to SRIT from 6th April 2016 and that the rate will be announced on 16th. 

Where the taxpayer feels that the address detail is wrong their only suggested solution is to complete the change of circumstances form on the HMRC website. 

The letter contains no reply address and, unsurprisingly after recent events, no phone number. It will be interesting to see if these letters lead to increased employer or agent contact from employees who believe them to be incorrect."

Good luck to the 2.2 million who receive these letters!

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"

Building Our Future - HMRC's Transitional Centres

HMRC's ten year plan to cut £100M in costs and move remaining staff to 13 hubs will not, unsurprisingly, suit every member of staff.

As such HMRC has come up with a "brilliant" solution, designed to "help" those staff who feel that (or whom HMRC feels) they are not part of HMRC's bright new digital future.

Transitional Centres

A name more akin to something built for refugees fleeing a war zone.

Computing reports that HMRC will have transitional centres for people who are likely to leave the organisation within the next decade.

The question is which sites will be transitional?

Employees who find themselves in such a centre will doubtless feel a tad "demoralised".

Won't this cause more problems?

Notwithstanding this, HMRC plans to move certain roles and perhaps even teams to transitional centres where they will work until the department deems them obsolete.  

 

What could possibly go wrong?

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"

HMRC's Race To The Bottom

In March 2014 I wrote about HMRC's performance evaluation system, which insists on fixed quotas wherein 10% of staff fall in the bottom rating regardless of their performance.

I noted at the time that:

"This is not a new concept, many "successful" private sector companies have used this technique (or variations thereon) eg Enron and Arthur Andersen (the failed accountancy firm that audited Enron). Seemingly the fear of "failure" is meant to be "motivational"."

Aside from the nonsense of having fixed quotas for staff performance, its "success" or otherwise rests on the quality of management who make the assessment and then "guide" those who are in the bottom 10%.

My thanks to a loyal reader, who recently dropped me a note outlining the reality of what goes on behind the scenes when HMRC management decide who has to be placed in the bottom 10%.

"Morale has eroded at an alarming rate. 

The competency based promotion system is flawed beyond belief and as for the Performance Management Review process we have to endure, well it is the most unfair ridiculous annual assessment of staff I have ever known, and I've been around a while. 

If the taxpayer was aware of how many man/woman hours is wasted on this process there'd be a public inquiry. 

I kid you not. 

Let me give you an example of how it works. I meet with each member of staff under my management, once at the mid year and once at year end. We will discuss performance and we will agree (or not!) where that person sits within one of the three areas; 

- Exceeded Performance, 
- Achieved Performance or 
- Less Effective Performance. 

As managers we have been told that as an office we MUST have 10% of staff in the Less Effective box. This is non negotiable. 

However once I've completed my staff reviews and given each one an indicative mark I must now attend a Validation Group where all managers meet under the leadership of a chairperson. This is where my staff will be compared against the staff of other managers. Each manager goes in determined that none of their staff are going to end up in the 10% bracket. Added in to the mix is the fact that a lot of the staff being "Validated" don't even do the same type of work!! 

In effect if your manager is going in to these validation meetings you had better hope and pray that they are exceptional at standing their ground. A further twist here is that the validation group chair in at least one example that I know of started the session by saying that his PMR depended on making sure that the validation group reached the target of at least 10% of the staff being discussed ending up in the Less Effective Performance band. 

The result of all this is that decisions about individuals' performance is being assessed by a group of managers most of whom have never seen the work of that individual, in a lot of cases don't know them at all. What normally happens it that no one enters the room with anyone in the 10% box. Then the fun and games start as each manager listens intently for any sign of weakness in other managers arguments or in the evidence put before them regarding each individual being discussed. 

Once a weak manager or weak evidence is identified, everyone else turns on that individual or their manager. After all, a group attack is the best form of defence. Weak managers are consumed by the rest and their staff suffer as a consequence. 

Oh by way, there is supposed to be an independent note taker at each validation meeting. I know of one independent person who was so upset at what she was exposed to she refused to do it again. 

The PMR process means that in October and April staff are more concerned with their PMRs than about the job they are paid to do. Perhaps someone should do a survey of HMRC call centres at PMR time. I would guess the waiting time for customers is a lot longer than normal. I would estimate that all staff spend a minimum of one whole day preparing for their mid year and end of year PMR (that's a conservative estimate). 

Then you've got the reviews themselves, then you've got the validation groups, then you've got the inevitable appeal processes. 

The managers hate it, but Excom ram it down our throats; grumble about it and you could find yourself on the naughty step i.e. the Less Effective Box."

HMRC's performance appraisal system is clearly not fit for purpose!

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"

HMRC Grips The Issue - Don't Believe The Hype!

A spokesman for HMRC is quoted by International Adviser, talking about the closure of HMRC offices and HMRC's "improved" performance:

“We recognise our customer service has not been good enough recently and apologise to all those who have found it difficult to talk to us. 

We have gripped this issue and recruited around 3,000 new staff in our customer teams, also moving an extra 900 HMRC people on to customer correspondence in recent months.

These improvements have started to make a difference. This month, we have answered more than 80% of calls, and average queue times are now around 10 minutes.”

Well that's all very fine and dandy, except that it's bollocks.

The reality is, as a loyal reader pointed out to me, that of course performance has improved in November that's because November and December are quiet months.

Wait until January, then we will see how HMRC copes!

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"

Building Our Future - Dorothy Brown Speaks

Director of personal tax, Dorothy Brown, is quoted by The Star saying that HMRC would do as much as possible to keep staff.

“We want to retain as many staff as possible which is why we have given people five or six years’ notice so they have time to look at their choices and options. 

We fully appreciate the move might be difficult in certain personal circumstances but we will work with staff on retaining or upskilling them.

If people do want to travel we will support them, perhaps helping out with travel costs if it is more expensive and we will put together a series of HR packages. We are committed to keep as many staff as possible.”

I doubt that!

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"

Build You Own HMRC Office

My thanks to a loyal reader who posted a link to the following opportunity offered by HMRC.

Those who wish to build new HMRC offices, I would have thought that there must be some offices already built that would be suitable, feel free to apply.

Strategic Delivery Partner

HMRC

Open opportunity - This means that the contract is currently unfulfilled but active, and the buying department is looking for potential suppliers to contact them with bid applications.

Closing date: 01 January 2016

Contract summary

Industry

Construction and Real Estate, Printing and Publishing, Other Services

Location of contract

M60 9LA

Value of contract (£)

£1

Published date

12 October 2015

Closing date

01 January 2016

Contract start date

01 January 2016

Contract end date

02 January 2016

Description

The purpose of this Prior Information Notice (PIN) is:
(a) to give potential tenderers advance notice that HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) currently intend to undertake a tendering exercise for a Strategic Delivery Partner, further details of which are given below, and
(b) to advise potential tenderers of an upcoming Supplier Event which will be held on 26/10/2015 in London, at 11am. Followed by opportunities to meet with HMRC on a one to one basis, to be arranged on the supplier day.

HMRC has set out its vision for its future office network as part of its Building our Future Programme. HMRC will create 14 Regional Centres across the UK, of which the majority are expected to be new build properties.

These will vary in size from 1,200 to 7,500 staff. Migration is expected to be over 5 years. The existing 170 offices will close as new Regional Centres open. There will be a small number of specialist sites in addition to the Regional Centres. Some Regional Centres may form part of larger Government Hub campuses.

The requirement is for a Strategic Delivery Partner with the experience to develop and deliver the HMRC Building our Future Property Programme. The partner will work with HMRC and advise on, develop and deliver an overall integrated Building our Future Programme, comment and evaluate individual developments within it; creating a long term management regime and occupier strategy.

HMRC is seeking to engage with organisations or consortia who might be interested in working with the Department to develop its requirements and procurement strategy. Services to be delivered may include: General Programme and Project Management Governance Project Management Office Communications, Marketing and Publicity Property Property/Asset Management Property Acquisitions Freehold/Leasehold Appraisal Construction & Fit Out Financial Business Case Development Financial Appraisal/Cost Modelling Benefit Realisation Investment Funding Commercial Procurement Supply Chain Management Technical M&E Standards Technical Standards (including Environmental) Interior Design IT Cabling Infrastructure Supplier Knowledge & Attributes: UK Coverage Multi-disciplinary organisation FM & Construction Expertise Commercial acumen Public Sector Procurement Government Soft Landings Logistical & Staff Migration Planning Further details about the requirement will be available at the Supplier Event.

About the buyer

Address

5th Floor West Ralli Quays

3 Stanley Street

Salford

M60 9LA

UK

Telephone

+443000587850

Email

valerie.sharrocks@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Other information

Attachments

Please follow this link to view the notice.

https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/respondToList.html?noticeId=165628688

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"

Dates of HMRC Office Closures

My thanks to a loyal reader for sending me the list of dates of the HMRC office closures:

The list of HMRC offices to shut, and their proposed closure dates:  

Yorkshire and the Humber
Bradford (Centenary Court) 2020-21, Bradford (The Interchange) 2019-20, Grimsby (Imperial House) 2020-21, Harrogate (Victoria Avenue) 2016-17, Hull (Cherry Court) 2020-21, Leeds (Munroe Court) 2019-20, Leeds (Castle House) 2019-20, Leeds (Peter Bennett House) 2019-20, Leeds (Windsor House) 2020-21, Sheffield (Concept House) 2010-21, Shipley (Accounts Office) 2019-20, York (Swinson House) 2019-20.

North East of England
Middlesbrough (Russell Street) 2018-19, Middlesbrough (Eustace House) 2019-20, Peterlee (Emerald Court) 2020-21, Stockton-on-Tees (George Stephenson House) 2020-21, Sunderland (Waterside House) 2019-20, Washington (Waterview Park) 2024-25.

East Midlands
Derby(Northgate House) 2018-19, Leicester (Saxon House) 2020-21, Lincoln (Lawress Hall) 2020-21, Lincoln (Cromwell House) 2016-17, Chesterfield (Markham House) 2016-17, Nottingham (Castle Meadow) 2020-21 when the move will be made into a new regional centre in Nottingham - possibly at Castle Meadow.

London, the South East and East of England

Bedford 2016-17, Brighton 2018-19, Cambridge 2018-19, Canterbury 2019-20, Chatham 2016-17, Chelmsford 2016-17, Colchester 2016-17, Crawley 2017-18, Felixstowe 2016-17, Gravesend 2019-20, Harwich 2017-18, Ipswich (Haven House) 2027-28, Ipswich (St Clare\'s House) 2023-24, London (Berkeley House) 2016-17, London (Bush House) 2019-20, London (Capitol House) 2020-21, London (Custom House) 2019-20, London (Dorset House) 2019-20, London (Euston) 2020-21, London (Ealing International House) 2020-21, London (Riverside House) 2017-21, Luton 2020-21, Maidstone 2020-21, Milton Keynes 2016-17, Norwich 2016-17, Oxford 2017-18, Peterborough (Churchgate) 2020-21, Peterborough (Clifton House) 2017-18, Portsmouth (Lynx House) 2025-26, Portsmouth (Wingfield House) 2018-19, Reading 2024-25, Redhill 2018-19, Romford 2016-17, Southampton 2019-20, Southend 2019-20, Staines (Forum House) 2017-18, Staines (Heliting House) 2017-18, Surbiton 2017-18, Tilbury 2016-17, Uxbridge 2018-19, Watford 2020-21, Wembley 2020-21, Woking 2017-18.

Northern Ireland

Newry (Custom House) June 2016, Coleraine (Fern House) 2016-17, Craigavon (Marlborough House) 2017-18, Enniskillen (Abbey House) 2017-18, Belfast (Beaufort House) 2017-18, Belfast (Carne House) 2017-18, Belfast (Custom House) 2017-18, Belfast (Dorchester House) 2017-18, Lisburn (Moira House) 2019-20, Londonderry (Foyle House) 2020-21.

North West of England

Warrington 2018-19, Carlisle 2017-18, Workington 2018, Bolton 2019-20, Manchester (four offices) 2019-20, Blackburn 2019-20, Blackpool transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions, Preston (three offices) 2020-21 and three to later transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions, Bootle (four offices) 2018-19 and 2019-20, Liverpool one office 2018-19 and two to later transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions, St Helens 2018-19.

Scotland

Aberdeen (Ruby House) 2020-21, Bathgate (Pyramids Business Centre) 2019-20, Cumbernauld (Accounts Office) 2019-20, Dundee (Sidlaw House) due to transfer to DWP, Dundee (Caledonian House) 2017-18, East Kilbride (Hawbank Stores), East Kilbride (Plaza Tower) 2020-21, East Kilbride (Queensway House) 2025-26, Edinburgh (Elgin House) 2019-20, Edinburgh (Grayfield House) 2019-20, Edinburgh (Meldrum House) 2019-20, Glasgow (Cotton House) 2019-20, Glasgow (Portcullis House) 2019-20, Inverness (River House) 2017-18, Livingston (Barbara Ritchie House) 2019-20, Irvine and Glenrothes offices are also both in the process of closing.

South West of England

Avonmouth (Custom House) 2017-18, Bournemouth (Holland House) 2019-20, Bristol (101 Victoria Street) 2017-18, Bristol (Crescent Centre) 2017-18, Exeter (Longbrook House) 2020-21, Gloucester (Twyver House) 2017-18, Plymouth (The Apex) 2016-17, Plymouth (Westpoint) 2016-17, Redruth (Piran House) 2018-19, Swindon (Wiltshire Court) 2017-18, Taunton (Michael Paul House) 2016-17.

Wales

Wrexham, Swansea, Porthmadog and the present Cardiff base at Llanishen will close. An office in Merthyr is already due to shut in 2016.

West Midlands

Birmingham (City Centre House) 2019-20, Birmingham (Norfolk House) 2019-20, Brierley Hill (Bridge House) 2016-17, Brierley Hill (Merry Hill) will transfer to Department for Work and Pensions, Coventry (Sherbourne House) 2019-20, Northampton (Princess House) 2020-21, Northampton (Northgate House) 2016-17, Solihull (Sapphire East) 2019-20, Solihull (Royal House) 2019-20, Telford (Boyd House I and II, Abbey House and Matheson House) 2017-18, Telford (Parkside Court) 2019-20, Walsall (Pattison House) 2016-17, Wolverhampton (Crown House) 2019-20, Worcester (Council Buildings) 2019-20.

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



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"

100 Parliament Street To Remain HMRC’s HQ

My thanks to loyal reader for forwarding me a copy of yesterday's announcement posted on the HMRC intranet.

"Ironically" 100 Parliament Street will remain as HMRC’s HQ!

Here is the full text:

Animation: locations overview

HMRC is transforming into a smaller, more highly-skilled organisation. 

These changes mean we’ll be able to deliver better public services at lower cost to the taxpayer.

To achieve this, we are now taking the next step in our 10-year modernisation programme.  

The way that we’re currently organised, across 170 offices, simply doesn’t make business or financial sense.

That’s why we're bringing the department together into 13 big, modern regional centres, equipped with the digital infrastructure and training facilities we need to make HMRC fit for the demands of the 21st century. 

There will also be a scaled-back presence in our Westminster headquarters and four Specialist Sites to cover work that cannot be done elsewhere.

The regional centres will offer high-quality jobs and opportunities for training and career development. 

As a national organisation, HMRC will maintain a significant presence serving every English region, as well as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

●     The North East will be in Newcastle

●     The North West – one in Manchester and one in Liverpool

●     Yorkshire and the Humber – in Leeds

●     The East Midlands – in Nottingham

●     The West Midlands –  in Birmingham

●     Wales – in Cardiff

●     Northern Ireland – in Belfast

●     Scotland – one in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh

●     The South West – in Bristol

●     To serve London, the South East and East of England, we're creating two regional centres – one in Stratford and one in Croydon.

100 Parliament Street will remain as HMRC’s HQ, albeit with fewer people based there.

We’re going to retain four sites for specialist work - in Dover, Worthing, Telford and Gartcosh.

A number of touchdown locations will serve HMRC’s mobile customer service teams and compliance field workers.

We’ll also keep some Transitional Sites open for between five and ten years, as stepping stones to Regional Centres.

These are East Kilbride, Washington, Ipswich, Reading and Portsmouth.

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We’ve tried hard to keep the impact on our workforce to a minimum. That’s why more than 90 per cent of people will be within Reasonable Daily Travel of either a Regional Centre or one of the Transitional Sites.. 

We do recognise that everyone is different and that there’s no single answer that will cover everyone, as people have very different circumstances, which is why it is important that we hold one-to-ones with everyone. 

That’s why you will have an opportunity to discuss your personal circumstances with your manager ahead of any office closure or move.

Tax does have to be taxing.

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