Well, folks, it seems the halls of HMRC are filled with more than just festive cheer this year. No, nestled amongst the spreadsheets and tax codes sits a Grinch disguised as a bean counter – the esteemed Jim Harra, Chief Executive of the taxman himself.
Recent news has revealed Jim's jolly penchant for chasing taxpayers down for debts as measly as a tenner short of a hundred quid. That's right, folks, if your granny forgot to declare a pack of Werther's Originals on her biscuit tax, Jim's hounds will be baying for your blood (or at least your loose change).
Now, I'm not saying everyone deserves a free pass for a cheeky tenner here or there.
But seriously, Jim?
Chasing down folks for less than the price of a decent Christmas pie?
It's Scrooge-like, bordering on downright miserly. You'd think a man in charge of collecting the nation's dosh would have a bit more perspective. It's not like these folks are dodging Lamborghinis and caviar, are they? They're probably struggling to afford the sprouts this year, let alone a tax debt the size of a gnat's sneeze.
But Jim, in his infinite bean-counting wisdom, claims it's all about "risk-based debt management." Apparently, even a tenner-sized debt can snowball into a mountain of paperwork and wasted resources. Right. Because sending letters and making calls for an eighty-nine quid debt is definitely the best use of HMRC's time and money.
Here's the thing, Jim. When you chase people down for piddling sums, it doesn't make you look efficient, it makes you look petty. It sends a message that you're more interested in squeezing every last penny out of folks than actually making the tax system fair and manageable. And that, my friends, is a recipe for resentment.
So, Jim, if you're reading this, take a tip from an old hand. Lighten up a bit. Show some Christmas spirit. Let the ten-pound debts slide and focus on the real tax dodgers – the ones with offshore accounts and fancy lawyers. That way, you might actually earn some goodwill and maybe, just maybe, make the taxman a bit less Grinch-like in the eyes of the public.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with a mince pie and a healthy dose of cynicism about the state of our fiscal affairs. Merry Christmas, everyone. And remember, if Old Man Harra comes calling for your fiver, tell him Ken sent you.
Yours in fiscal disbelief,
Ken
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Piddling sums? Sir Jim is happy to pay a third of his staff minimum wage, he probably thinks £89 is a huge amount. It's enough for a round of drinks at the numerous awards ceremonies he loves attending.
ReplyDeleteSounds typical of the scumbags who run the country. Tax is now mainly for the little people.
ReplyDeleteThe select few with fat offshore accounts and access to the finest professional advice have little to worry. Ask their advisers to consult the UK's 20,000 or so pages of tax regs. and they'll find a loophole, even if these taxpayers prefer to keep some of their £££ in the UK and just pay a low rate on it. Avoidance is legal, as we all know.
At a guess, it'll be 5-8% tax for the rich and 40% for the middling-poor. Buffett said as much a decade ago.
Is half a billion quid about to be pissed up the wall? When it comes to accountability in a year or two, the culprits will be long gone. Out through the SCS revolving door.
ReplyDeleteHow many food banks could be filled with this money? Heating bills paid? Private Hip operations?
Merry Christmas.
https://www.theregister.com/2023/12/19/uk_tax_collect_launches_500/
This is bell end is typical of the types who've presided over multiple failures and rapid decline of our tax authority over the last 15+ years. Never mind, his knighthood will be soon.
ReplyDeleteHappy Christmas, Ken and loyal readers. Please keep highlighting what these scum bags are up to in 2024 - it promises to be yet another year of epic failure for unprofessional and otherwise unemployable mob at HMRC.
It looks like the legalised gangsters might have to cough up another half a billion. An expensive Christmas for the British taxpayer.
ReplyDeleteThey'd better bulk order some brown envelopes to chase the £89 low hanging fruit. Making sure that the customer is at the heart of everything they do.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/12/25/taxman-could-forced-pay-uber-500m-vat-legal-defeat/
They sneer at hardworking small traders. They fail to provide any 'customer' service to the plebs on PAYE. They do sweetheart deals with the multinational companies and then go and work for them on megabucks. They get a cheap thrill out of bullying their own lower grade staff.
ReplyDeleteHow do these filth - aka HMRC Senior Management - sleep at night?? Scum bags.