David Bunting To Become Interim HMRC General Counsel

Last week I noted that Gill Aitken, HMRC’s General Counsel and Solicitor, is to leave HMRC on 30 June, to take up a new role as Registrar at the University of Oxford.

Whilst HMRC start the "open" recruitment process an interim appointment will be made.

Step forward David Bunting, who currently works in the cross-government Border Delivery Group, as its interim general counsel and solicitor.

Civil Service World reports that Bunting trained in the Inland Revenue and has more than 20 years’ legal experience. He has led HMRC legal teams dealing with tax policy and legislation in relation to UK business and environmental taxes including Corporation Tax, VAT, Customs and Excise duties, oil and gas taxation, Landfill Tax, Climate Change Levy and betting and gaming duties. He has also led HMRC’s litigation activity.

In 2008 he became a senior civil servant, and in 2012 was appointed legal director at HMRC. In 2017 he moved to the Border Delivery Group – a cross-government team led by HMRC’s director general for border coordination Karen Wheeler, which focuses on the operational and practical impacts of Brexit on UK borders.

On 1 July, Bunting will become director general of the Solicitor’s Office and Legal Services Group and will join the department’s executive committee, reporting to chief executive Jon Thompson.

There will be an open recruitment process in the coming months to fill the role permanently, and HMRC said it would confirm any new arrangements in the Border Delivery Group in due course.
Aitken has been at the tax agency since 2014. Commenting on her departure, Thompson said: “She has helped to shape our departmental strategy and I’ll really miss her wise counsel.”

What's the betting that Bunting becomes permanent?

New arrangements in the Border Delivery Group will be announced (decided) in due course.


Tax does have to be taxing.

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