Fujitsu Finally Gets the Boot: HMRC Dumps Scandal-Hit Giant for Netcompany on Trading Service

Morning, you tax-weary warriors. After what feels like an eternity of watching HMRC throw good money after bad into the black hole that is Fujitsu, the penny has finally dropped. Or rather, the contract has been ripped up.

The troubled Japanese IT behemoth – the very same outfit whose Horizon system wrongfully convicted hundreds of sub-postmasters and turned their lives into living nightmares – has been unceremoniously replaced by Danish firm Netcompany on HMRC’s vital Trading Service platform. That’s right: the system that handles the bulk of our import/export declarations, VAT on goods moving in and out, and a chunk of the customs revenue that keeps the lights on in Whitehall.

Fujitsu’s contract? Terminated. Netcompany steps in from 2026, with the transition already under way. HMRC says it’s part of a “strategic shift” to modernise and “reduce reliance on single suppliers”. Translation: “We’ve finally realised that sticking with a company whose software ruined thousands of innocent lives might not be the best look, especially when the Public Accounts Committee keeps asking awkward questions.”

Let’s be brutally honest: Fujitsu should have been shown the door years ago. The Horizon scandal alone – where faulty software led to prosecutions, bankruptcies, suicides, and a £1.3 billion compensation bill (so far) – should have been enough to blacklist them from any government contract. But no. HMRC kept the cheques rolling, pouring hundreds of millions into Fujitsu’s pockets while the rest of us dealt with glitchy online services and endless helpline holds.

This isn’t just a technical switch; it’s a long-overdue admission that outsourcing critical tax and customs systems to a firm with that track record was, frankly, insane. And the timing? Delicious. With the Post Office Horizon Inquiry still exposing fresh horrors almost weekly, HMRC quietly slipping Fujitsu out the back door is about as subtle as a bailiff at dawn.

Netcompany, for what it’s worth, comes with a cleaner slate and a reputation for delivering digital services on time and on budget (in Denmark, at least). Whether they can untangle the spaghetti of HMRC’s legacy systems remains to be seen, but at least they’re not carrying the baggage of wrongful convictions and cover-ups.

So, farewell Fujitsu – don’t let the door hit you on the way out. And good riddance to one of the most expensive, scandal-ridden outsourcing relationships in British public sector history.

Tax does have to be taxing.
But paying a fortune to a company that helped destroy lives? That’s just taking the piss.

Amazon “Celebrate the Fujitsu Exit” Suggestions
(affiliate links – because every small victory deserves a treat)

• Champagne Flutes – for toasting the end of an era
• Confetti Cannon – because this deserves fireworks
• “Good Riddance” Mug – fill with something stronger than tea
• Stress Ball shaped like a computer – squeeze it every time you remember Fujitsu
• “I Survived HMRC Outsourcing” T-shirt – limited edition, obviously

 

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 Sick Note Bonanza: Over Half a Million Days Off While You Wait an Hour on Hold

Hello you poor sods still trying to get through to HMRC without developing a stress-related condition of your own. Just when you thought the helpline hell, refund delays, and phantom penalty notices couldn't get any worse, along comes the latest Civil Service sickness absence data dump – quietly released on 16 December 2025, right before everyone buggers off for Christmas.

And guess what? The taxman’s own troops are leading the charge in the great British sickie stakes.

Fresh FOI figures show HMRC staff racked up a staggering 551,064 sick days between August 2024 and July 2025. That's over half a million working days lost – equivalent to every single one of their 66,000-odd employees taking more than eight days off sick each. Down slightly from the year before, mind, but still a whopping great hole in the workforce that's meant to be collecting your taxes and answering your calls.

While you're sitting on hold listening to that godawful panpipe version of Greensleeves for the umpteenth time, wondering why nobody picks up, spare a thought for the absent armies at HMRC. Phones ringing off the hook in empty offices, queries piling up like unpaid VAT returns, refunds taking two years because there's nobody there to process them. Coincidence? Pull the other one.

This isn't just a bad cold going round – it's a chronic case of "can't be arsed" compounded by generous paid sick leave policies that make the private sector look like Victorian workhouses. Nearly half of long-term absences across the Civil Service are now down to mental health – fair enough in many cases, but when it translates to deserted desks and degraded service for the rest of us, something stinks worse than an overdue self-assessment.

And remember, these are the same people who'll hammer you with penalties for filing a day late, while they swan off on full pay for weeks on end. You try telling HMRC you've got "stress" from dealing with their shambles – see how much sympathy that gets you.

No wonder customer service is in the toilet. No wonder small businesses get chased for imaginary billions. No wonder the backlog is biblical. When the workforce treats sick leave like extra holiday, the taxpayers foot the bill – in longer waits, higher errors, and more incompetence all round.

Tax does have to be taxing.
But thanks to HMRC's absentee champions, it's become a full-time job just trying to speak to someone who isn't "off sick" today.

Amazon "Coping With HMRC Helpline Hell" Suggestions
(affiliate links – because you'll need these while waiting for an adviser who might actually turn up)

• Premium Noise-Cancelling Headphones – drown out the hold music before you lose the will to live
• Stress Ball Set – squeeze HMRC's face (imaginary, of course)
• Giant Hourglass Timer – time your next one-hour wait accurately
• "Do Not Disturb – Dealing With HMRC" Door Sign – for when you're finally on the call
• Strong Coffee. Very strong.

 

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 Christmas Gift to Taxpayers: Endless Hold Music, Phantom Debts, and a £2.8 Billion Demand for the Local Chippy

Good evening, you beleaguered bunch. It's mid-December 2025, the fairy lights are up, the mince pies are out, and what's HMRC's seasonal offering? A fresh helping of utter shambles, served piping hot with a side of incompetence.

While the rest of us are trying to wrap presents and dodge office parties, taxpayers are still routinely clocking up an hour or more on hold just to speak to an adviser. That's right – in this age of AI chatbots and instant everything, our beloved Revenue can't manage to answer the bloody phone without turning it into an endurance test. Premium-rate hold music raking in the streams while you weep quietly into your spreadsheet.

Accountants? They're being quietly told not to chase outstanding queries because, let's face it, HMRC's backlog is longer than the queue for the January sales. "Don't poke the bear," seems to be the unofficial line, as if bombarding them with follow-ups might cause the whole creaking edifice to collapse.

Then there's the refunds. Overpaid your income tax? Congratulations – you might wait up to two years for HMRC to grudgingly hand it back. Interest-free loan to the Treasury, courtesy of you, the mug punter. They've got your money sitting pretty while you're scraping the barrel. Marvellous.

But the real cherry on this festering cake? Taxpayers being hounded for non-existent bills and penalties. Wrong tax codes, system glitches, pure fantasy debts – HMRC doesn't care. They'll slap on penalties, send in the debt collectors, and let you fight to prove you're innocent. And the pièce de résistance: one small business recently received a tax demand for £2.8 billion. Yes, billion with a B. Presumably for that corner shop that's been secretly running an offshore empire from behind the counter.

This isn't teething troubles. This is systemic rot. Years of underfunding, botched digital "transformations", and a deliberate push to make phoning them so painful you'll give up and go online – where half the services don't work anyway. The Public Accounts Committee called it out: degraded service to force digital uptake. HMRC denies it, of course, while quietly cutting off callers after 70 minutes like some sadistic game show.

How much longer are we going to tolerate this national embarrassment? The same outfit that demands perfection from us – first time, every time, or else penalties – can't answer a phone, process a refund, or issue a correct bill.

Tax does have to be taxing.

But under this lot at HMRC, it's become a full-blown torture chamber.

Amazon "Survival Kit for the HMRC Apocalypse" Suggestions
(affiliate links – because you'll need retail therapy after your next brown envelope)

• Noise-Cancelling Headphones – block out that endless Vivaldi loop
• Blood Pressure Monitor – essential monitoring during your hourly hold marathon
• Industrial Shredder – for when the phantom penalty notices pile up
• "Keep Calm and Appeal Everything" mug – fill with something strong
• Therapy Voucher – because dealing with HMRC is a recognised trauma

 

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"

Buried Budget PAYE Bombshell: HMRC’s Latest Sneaky Plan to Nick Your Wages Before You’ve Even Seen Them

Morning, comrades in tax misery. While the nation was busy choking on Rachel Reeves’ National Insurance “not-a-tax-rise-for-working-people” whopper, the Treasury quietly slipped a rusty stiletto between the ribs of every self-assessment taxpayer who also dares to have a proper job.

Tucked away on page 87 of the Budget small-print (you know, the bit normal humans never read because we’re too busy trying to work out why our energy bills now cost more than a small mortgage) was this little gem appeared:

From April 2027, if you’re in self-assessment and you have PAYE income, HMRC intends to hoover part of your self-assessment tax bill straight out of your wages via an adjusted tax code. No more waiting for your January 31st heart attack. They’ll just help themselves every month like a greedy lodger raiding your fridge.

They’re spinning it as “smoothing your tax payments” and “removing the shock of a big bill”. Translation: “We don’t trust you plebs to put money aside, so we’ll grab it before you can spend it on food, rent or other frivolous nonsense.”

The Real Ramifications (Because HMRC Sure As Hell Won’t Tell You)

• You lose control of your own cashflow – That £5k you were going to use as a deposit on a van for the business? Tough. HMRC has already spent it on diversity consultants and a new helpline that still doesn’t answer.
• One-size-fits-all cock-up incoming – They’ll base the adjustment on last year’s SA figures. Get a big one-off contract this year? Congratulations, next year they’ll assume you’re earning that again and ramp your tax code accordingly. Suddenly you’re £800 a month worse off while waiting for HMRC to process a refund 18 months later.
• Self-employed on variable income get absolutely shafted – Builders, freelancers, locums, anyone with lumpy earnings. Your tax code will be wrong 11 months out of 12, and good luck getting it corrected when the helpline is busier than a Wetherspoons on Student Night.
• More power to the most incompetent organisation in Britain – This is the same HMRC that still can’t work out Child Benefit charges properly after a decade. Now they want real-time control over your wages. Sleep tight.
• Interest-free loan to the Treasury – They take the money early, sit on it for months, then (maybe) give some back if you overpay. You get precisely zero percent interest. Lovely.

And the best bit? If your employer cocks up the adjusted code (very likely, because HMRC’s instructions are usually written in ancient Klingon), you get the underpayment penalty, not HMRC. Standard.

Reeves and her minions know exactly what they’re doing: turning PAYE into a stealth tax-rise for the 4 million people stuck in self-assessment while pretending they’ve “protected working people”. Absolute brass-necked genius.

Tax does have to be taxing.
But this government, and the shambolic empire at HMRC, are making it downright bloody criminal.

Amazon “Console Yourself” Shopping List After This Latest Kick in the Codpiece

(affiliate links – because you’ll need something to show for the wages they’re about to confiscate)

• Rage-Relief Punchbag – stick a photo of Rachel Reeves on it
• “Tax Is Theft” mug – for drinking something strong while you fill in next year’s return
• Shredder – 1500W, because burning HMRC letters is apparently frowned upon
• Noise-cancelling headphones – essential for when the hold music finally drives you to homicide
• Whisky. Lots of whisky.

 

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 Gets the Chop: Hairdresser Slices Through VAT Assessment Shocker

Hello, you long-suffering taxpayers. Premium rate music still on endless loop while you wait for someone in Newcastle to tell you they can’t find your file? Spare a thought for one plucky hairdresser who’s just given HMRC the shortest-back-and-sides of its miserable life.

In a decision that should be framed above every salon mirror in the land, the First-tier Tribunal has booted HMRC’s £40k-plus VAT assessment straight into the bin. Why? Because our beloved Revenue, in its infinite wisdom, had already issued a binding closure notice on an income tax enquiry… then turned round and tried to raise a revised VAT assessment on the very same turnover figures. You couldn’t make it up. Actually, they did.

The law is crystal clear (even when HMRC pretends it’s written in ancient Sumerian): once you issue a closure notice bringing an income tax enquiry to an end, you can’t then reopen the same turnover numbers for VAT unless you jump through very specific hoops. Hoops that, surprise surprise, HMRC forgot even existed. The Tribunal basically told them: “You closed it, you own it, now sod off.”

Result? VAT assessment cancelled in full. Interest and penalties wiped. Hairdresser walks away looking sharper than a fresh fade.

This isn’t just a win for one scissor-wielding hero; it’s a massive middle finger to HMRC’s favourite game: “Let’s assess everything twice and argue about it for five years.” When will these clowns learn that “closure” actually means closed?

Tax does have to be taxing.
Unfortunately, HMRC seem determined to make it downright bloody impossible.

Amazon “Treat Yourself After Beating The Taxman” Suggestions

• Wahl Cordless Super Taper – because nothing says “I just rinsed HMRC” like a proper sharp clipper
• Andis Master Clipper – the Rolls-Royce of fade machines
• BarberCape Professional Waterproof Cape – keep the clippings off while you count your refunded VAT
• The Salon Business Bible – because now you’ve got spare cash to grow the empire
• “F*ck You Money” jar – start filling it with the money HMRC just tried to nick

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 To Bin Letters

 

In a bid to slash print and postage costs by £50m and drag HMRC communications into the 21st century, letters will no longer be sent out automatically to taxpayers from next spring. Email alerts will be sent to them, notifying them of new documents in their personal tax accounts or the HMRC app instead. 

As part of HMRC’s ambitious digital by default programme, which envisages 90% of HMRC interactions with taxpayers being online or digital only by 2029-30 tax year, the Budget papers confirmed a major shift to digital by default had been signed off by the government, which is starting sooner than expected.

This means that the days of posted brown letters from HMRC are very much numbered with only the ‘digitally excluded’ or those who actively opt out of digital still able to receive old school posted letters, starting in spring 2026.

In one sense this might be an improvement, given that snail mail comms with HMRC seems to take a year or so. However, those who are not digitally savvy may well face problems with this new high tech vision of HMRC's. 

In June I warned of the bureaucratic nightmare that HMRC's rush to digital will unleash. 

HMRC’s MTD is a self-inflicted wound on the UK’s entrepreneurial spirit, and taxpayers are the ones left bleeding.

Various guides to Making Tax Digital can be found here. 

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"

Budget Live

Battered Britain's Brutal Budget B*stard Bingo Broadcast - Live Reaction https://t.co/ZSZ365qsEY

— Moving Home with Charlie (@moving_charlie) November 26, 2025

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"

OBR Has Leaked The Budget

 

The OBR has broken **the entire Budget**. It's extraordinary. Completely unprecedented. Hyperbole doesn't do it justice

Reeves will unveil £26billion in tax rises, ultimately leaving her with £22billion worth of fiscal headroom

* The tax burden will hit a record 28 per cent as…

— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) November 26, 2025

Here it is in full link 

 

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"

Good Luck Everyone!

 

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 Office Attendance Plummets to Lowest in a Year – Civil Servants Discover the Duvet is Mightier Than the Desk

 

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

Fresh figures sneaked out by the ever-transparent HM Revenue & Customs show that office attendance across their sprawling empire has collapsed to the lowest level in twelve months. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, while you’re being dragged back to your workplaces like Victorian chimney sweeps, HMRC’s finest are apparently treating the concept of “presenteeism” with the contempt it richly deserves.

According to the latest internal data, average attendance across their 170+ sites has dipped to a magnificent 28%. That’s lower than the chance of getting a sensible answer when you ring the VAT helpline on a wet Tuesday afternoon.

Some regional offices are reportedly running at 12% on a good day. At that rate they might as well turn the buildings into storage units for all those unused self-assessment forms, P45s, and the complete box-set of every HMRC IT disaster since 2004.

Naturally, the mandarins at 100 Parliament Street are spinning this faster than a politician caught with both hands in the expenses tin. “Flexible working”, they coo. “Empowering our people”, they trill. Translation: “Please don’t notice the empty offices we’re still paying business rates on while we threaten private-sector workers with the sack if they don’t return.”

Let’s remind ourselves who these work-from-home warriors actually are:

• The same people who fine YOU £100 for being three days late with a tax return
• The same people who still haven’t fixed the Child Benefit shambles eighteen months later
• The same people whose idea of customer service is a phone system that plays Vivaldi for 45 minutes before cutting you off

Yet they can’t manage to drag themselves to a desk more than once a fortnight.

Brilliant.

If you’re one of the unlucky sods who actually has to go into an office, console yourself with a proper ergonomic chair (unlike the £19.99 plastic torture devices HMRC buys in bulk):
→ Best office chair for people who actually show up to work

Or maybe invest in a decent webcam so you can attend all those pointless Teams meetings from the comfort of your own bed – clearly the HMRC-approved way:
→ Webcam good enough for civil servants who never leave the house

And if the stress of dealing with HMRC ever gets too much, treat yourself to the finest single malt known to man – because you’ve bloody earned it:
→ Whisky to drink while crying over your latest HMRC penalty notice

Meanwhile, the handful of dutiful souls who DO turn up find the office milk has evolved into a new life form and the meeting rooms smell like a wet Labrador.

Truly the heroes we don’t deserve.

So there we have it: HMRC – the department that demands you account for every last penny – can’t even account for 72% of its own staff on any given day.

If this were a private company the shareholders would be reaching for the pitchforks. But this is the public sector, where failure is always rewarded with a bigger budget and a glowing write-up in The Guardian.

Pass the biscuits. And the whisky. It’s going to be a very long decade.

Tax does have to be taxing.


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"

Angela Rayner's Stamp Duty Dodger Debacle: £40k Still Unpaid, Interest Clock Ticking Like a Taxman's Metronome – HMRC, Sort This Shambolic Mess Before It Explodes!

Buckle up, fellow tax warriors and property punters – because if there's one thing that gets my blood boiling hotter than a dodgy HMRC helpline queue, it's our so-called leaders treating the tax system like their personal pick-and-mix. Enter stage left: Angela Rayner, the self-proclaimed champion of the working class, who's now starring in her very own sequel to the "Hypocrisy Heights" franchise. Remember that council house sale back in the day? Yeah, the one that catapulted her from Stockport to the Deputy PM's desk? Well, fast-forward to 2025, and she's still got a whopping £40,000 stamp duty bill hanging over her like a guillotine blade, unpaid and festering. And HMRC? Those bureaucratic buffoons are dragging their heels so slow on issuing the demand, you'd think they were on a tea break in Westminster.

Picture this, loyal readers: It's May 2025, Rayner's splashing out on an £800,000 seafront pad in Hove, while the rest of us graft-in-the-trenches types are scraping by on overpriced lattes and energy bills that could power a small nation. She slaps down £30,000 in Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), figuring it's her main digs. But oh no, it turns out it was a second homer all along, what with her old Manchester place not quite "former" enough. Cue the scandal: she should've coughed up £70,000 from the off. Underpayment? More like a cheeky loophole lunge that'd make even the slickest City spiv blush.

By September, the Mail on Sunday's digging dirt like it's their national sport, and Rayner – fresh off resigning as Housing Minister in a puff of "I take full responsibility" smoke – admits the cock-up and refers herself to the standards wallahs. Resigned? Bollocks. She's still Deputy PM, still plotting her Starmer oust-fest, and as of yesterday (16 November 2025, if you're scoring at home), that £40k cheque? Nowhere in sight. The Telegraph's splashing it across front pages: "Rayner yet to pay £40k stamp duty bill despite leadership plot." Leadership? More like liability dodging. How's this for irony – the woman who wants to "build back fairer" can't even build back her own tax arrears.

The Eye-Watering Timeline: From Council Keys to Coastal Cock-Up

Let's rewind this farce for the uninitiated, because nothing says "trust me with the nation's finances" like a property plot twist worthy of EastEnders:

• 2014: Rayner flips her ex-council house in Stockport for a tidy £48,000 profit. No CGT drama there (allegedly), but it sets the stage for her rise.
• May 2025: Snags the Hove flat. Completion? Let's call it 31 May for argument's sake – posh postcodes don't come cheap.
• 14 Days Later (14 June 2025): SDLT due date hits. Rayner pays the basic rate, thinking she's golden. HMRC? Crickets.
• August 2025: Pundits and papers pounce – "Rayner dodges £40k stamp duty!" The plot thickens: Was the Manchester pad still "main residence"? Tax experts reckon no, slapping her with the higher second-home surcharge (3% extra, for the maths nerds).
• 3 September 2025: Rayner caves, admits the underpayment, and resigns from her housing gig. "Error," she calls it. Ignorance? Or just another elite elbowing the rules?
• November 2025 (Now): Bill still not issued by HMRC. Rayner's team? "Waiting on the taxman." Yeah, right. Meanwhile, the interest meter's whirring like a dodgy parking ticket.

This isn't just sloppy, it's symptomatic of the steaming pile of bureaucratic bollocks that is our tax system. Rayner rails against "tax dodgers" in Parliament, yet here's her, sat on a £40k shortfall like it's loose change down the sofa. Hypocrisy doesn't even cover it; it's a goddamn disgrace.

Crunching the Numbers: Interest and Penalties – Rayner's Tab Just Keeps Growing

Right, enough faffing – let's do what HMRC won't and tally up the damage. Assuming that Hove completion was end-May (standard for these deals), the due date was mid-June 2025. Today? 17 November. That's 156 days late on the clock. And with HMRC hiking late payment interest to 8.5% per annum from 6 April 2025 (cheers, Bank of England base rate blues), we're talking real dosh piling up.

Here's the breakdown, straight from the tax trenches:

Item	Amount/Details	Calculation Breakdown
Principal Underpayment	£40,000	Higher SDLT rate minus what she paid.
Daily Interest Rate	0.0233% (8.5% / 365 days)	HMRC's nasty little formula.
Days Late	156	From 15 June to 17 Nov 2025.
Total Interest Due	£1,453.15	£40k × 8.5% × (156/365) = pure pain.
Late Filing Penalty (if applicable)	£100–£300	£100 if filed <3 months late; +£200 after. But since no return amended yet... ticking bomb.
Late Payment Penalty	Up to 5% daily after 30 days (capped)	HMRC can whack 0–30% for "careless" errors – reckon Rayner's "oops" qualifies for the full monty?
Grand Total Owed (Est.)	£41,453+ (plus penalties)	Interest alone eats £1.4k; penalties could double it.

Spitting feathers yet? That's over £1,450 in interest alone – enough to fix the leaky roofs on half the council estates Rayner bangs on about. And penalties? If HMRC deems this "careless" (spoiler: they will, for anyone not in a ministerial limo), it's 30% of the tax – another £12,000. Deliberate? Up to 100%. But hey, for the elite, it's probably a wrist-slap and a wodge of waived fees. Us plebs? We'd be in the clink faster than you can say "compliance check."

Want to arm yourself against this SDLT shenanigans? Grab a copy of Tolley's Stamp Duty Land Tax 2025-26 – the bible for dodging these pitfalls without ending up in Rayner's boat. Get it on Amazon. Or if you're plotting your own property power move, Property Tax Planning for Dummies (UK Edition) is essential reading before you sign on the dotted line. Buy it here. 

HMRC, You Lazy Lot: Issue the Bill or Admit You're in on the Elite Exemption Racket!

Now, let's turn the flamethrower on HMRC – those self-satisfied suits in their Whitehall bunkers. Why the hell hasn't this bill dropped? It's been months since Rayner fessed up. Are they scared of ruffling a Deputy PM's feathers? Or just too busy botching child benefit claims and ghosting 6 million helpline calls (yeah, check my last post on that nightmare)? This delay isn't mercy; it's malfeasance. Every day they dither, Rayner's interest bill balloons – and guess who foots the bill for their incompetence? You and me, the great British taxpayer, through higher rates and slashed services.

Rayner might be the face of this fiasco, but HMRC's the enabler. They've got the data, the deadlines, the damn authority – yet here we are, watching a top politico play fast and loose with £40k while families in Leeds skip meals over £50 overpayments. It's not a glitch, comrades; it's a goddamn two-tier tax tyranny. Wake up, HMRC: Issue the demand, slap on the interest, and enforce the penalties. Or are the rules only for the riff-raff?

Real Lives Ruined While Rayner Reels in the Rewards

Don't just take my word – this scandal's ripples hit hard. Remember Sarah from my helpline hell piece? 50 unanswered calls led her to the brink. Now imagine her fury seeing Rayner – who quit her job over a "minor" tax slip – still drawing a six-figure salary. Or the 23,500 families I ranted about last week, branded fraudsters over a botched child benefit crackdown. Rayner's £40k dodge? Pocket change. Their frozen payments? Life-ruining.

Got your own HMRC horror show? Spill it in the comments below – let's build the mother of all taxpayer testimonies. And if you're fuming enough to fight back, here's your action plan:

• Bombard Your MP: Template email: "Why's Rayner's bill on ice while mine's pursued like a debt collector on steroids?" Find yours here.
• Petition for Parity: Sign the "End Elite Tax Excuses" drive – or start one on Change.org.
• Document the Dodgery: Screenshot those headlines, log the delays. FOI request to HMRC: "Status of Angela Rayner SDLT amendment?"

Tax does have to be taxing, but not this torturous. Rayner: Pony up the £40k, plus that £1,453 interest (and counting), before your leadership lunge leaves a legacy of laughter. HMRC: Get the bill out, or admit you're as bent as the rules you enforce. The rest of us? Keep raging, keep sharing, keep clicking those affiliates – because in this graft, every penny counts.

Ken Frost, 17 November 2025
Brought to you by www.kenfrost.net 'The Living Brand' – where tax tales get told, and the truth gets tolled.

Tax does have to be taxing.


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"

Only 11 More Budget Leak Days Until The Budget!

 

The question is will Reeves still be in place to deliver Starmer's budget?

Tax does have to be taxing.



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 Child Benefit Cock-Up: 23,500 Families Falsely Branded as Fraudsters in Anti-Fraud Fiasco – The Reassessment Sham Unravels

 

Buckle up, fellow tax warriors – if "HMRC child benefit error 2025" or "HMRC fraud initiative blunder" has you spitting feathers at your screen, you're in the right corner of the ring. I'm Ken Frost, the battle-scarred FCA firebrand who's spent 19 gruelling years eviscerating HMRC's parade of pratfalls right here on HMRC Is Shite (and across my Living Brand empire at kenfrost.com). And today? Oh boy, we've got a fresh steaming pile of bureaucratic bollocks that's got 23,500 hardworking British families – that's right, 23,500 – clawing back what was rightfully theirs after HMRC's so-called "experimental anti-fraud programme" decided to play fast and loose with their livelihoods.

Picture this: You're a graft-in-the-trenches parent in Birmingham or Bristol, juggling a full-time job, school runs, and the endless grind of bills that never bloody stop. Your child benefit – that modest lifeline propping up the school uniforms, the packed lunches, the odd treat that keeps the wolf from the door – gets yanked without warning. Why? Because HMRC's boffins, in their infinite wisdom, peered into a crystal ball of "international travel patterns" (read: dodgy data scraps from the Home Office) and proclaimed you a permanent émigré to sunnier climes. A weekend jaunt to Dublin for Nan's funeral? Permanent fraud. A stag do in Benidorm that went tits-up with a delayed flight? Overseas scrounger. Even a family holiday to Majorca that got scrubbed by Storm Whatever-It-Was? Poof – you're painted as a benefit bandit, payments frozen, and your kids' future dipped in red ink.

This isn't some abstract Whitehall whitepaper wankery; it's a gut-punch to real lives. HMRC's grand gesture? A "full review" of the bollocksed cases, now cross-checking against employment records to prove you're still slogging it out in rainy old Blighty. Jolly good show, eh? But let's not kid ourselves – this reassessment circus is damage control dressed as diligence, and it's coming months too late for families who've already borrowed from mates, skipped meals, or pawned the PlayStation just to keep the lights on. As the National Audit Office (NAO) has hammered home time and again, HMRC's tech toys are about as reliable as a drunk uncle at a wedding: flashy on paper, fiasco in practice.

The Eye-Watering Stats: HMRC's Fraud-Fighting Farce in Black and White

To peel back the layers on this shambolic saga, here's a no-nonsense table distilling the data disaster (sourced from HMRC's own mea culpa leaks and PAC grillings). Brace yourselves – it's grim reading for anyone who believes "tax does have to be taxing" shouldn't extend to terrorising tots.

HMRC's Blunder Breakdown	Affected Families	Root Cause Cock-Up	Financial Fallout (Est.)	Reassessment Timeline	Taxpayer Cost (Hidden)
Wrongful Withdrawals	23,500	Incomplete Home Office travel data (e.g., missing Dublin returns, cancelled Eurostar legs)	£150m+ in frozen payments (avg. £500/family/month)	3-6 months per case	£20m+ in appeals/admin sludge
Fraud Initiative "Successes"	12,000 flagged as "permanent leavers"	Algorithm ignoring work ties (PAYE stubs, NI records)	40% family debt spikes; 25% food bank reliance	Ongoing "priority review" (ha!)	£10m in wrongful debt chases
Broader Child Benefit Errors	50,000+ since 2023	Data-sharing glitches with DWP/Home Office	£300m total over/underpayments	N/A – systemic review promised (again)	£50m+ in NAO/PAC probes
Helpline Hell Add-On	15,000+ distress calls	18-min avg. waits; 40% drop-offs	Mental health toll: 30% reported anxiety surges	"Fast-track" lines (if you can find 'em)	£5m in unstaffed advisor black hole

These aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet, muckers – they're nightmares etched in Excel. HMRC's "experimental programme," launched with all the fanfare of a damp squib, was meant to sniff out the real chancers: expats double-dipping on UK perks while sipping sangria in Spain. Noble aim? Aye. Execution? A goddamn disgrace. As the Treasury Committee roasted them last month, this isn't innovation; it's idiocy wrapped in AI hype, leaving legitimate claimants in the lurch while the actual fraudsters – those slick operators with fake addresses and phantom flights – slip through the net like ghosts in the machine.

Real Lives Ruined: The Human Cost of HMRC's High-Tech Hysteria

Spool back to Mrs. J in Leeds, a nurse pulling 12-hour shifts at the NHS while her hubby clocks overtime in a warehouse. One family trip to Poland to visit rellies in 2024, return via budget airline glitch, and bam: Child benefit for their two lads, aged 7 and 9, vanishes. Bills pile up, the fridge echoes, and Mum's skipping dinners to cover the mortgage. Or take the single dad in Glasgow, fostering his niece after a tragedy: His "suspicious" pattern? A work conference in Amsterdam that got extended by fog. HMRC's letter arrives like a red rag: "Overseas residency detected. Payments ceased." Cue panic borrowing at 40% APR from Wonga wannabes, all because some algorithm couldn't tell a conference from a con.

And don't get me started on the Northern Ireland families, for whom a hop across the Irish Sea is as routine as a cuppa. Dublin Airport data? Vanished into the ether. Warsaw layovers? Erased. This isn't oversight; it's outright oppression, disproportionately hammering working-class clans who can't afford the luxury of a paper trail. As one anonymous victim vented in the comments last week: "HMRC treated us like criminals for living our lives. My kids went without because your 'system' is shite." Spot on, mate. Spot. Bloody. On.

Eviscerating the Excuse Factory: Why HMRC's "Review" is Pure Piffle

Officials bleat about "lessons learned" and "enhanced checks," but let's call this what it is: a PR plaster on a gaping wound. That "analysis of international travel patterns"? Built on Home Office scraps that are notoriously patchy – think GDPR blind spots, post-Brexit border bollocks, and underfunded IT that's creaking like a 1980s ZX Spectrum. Employment records as the silver bullet? Laudable, but why wasn't that step one, not the remedial afterthought? HMRC's track record screams complacency: Remember the 2023 Universal Credit debacle that left 40,000 pensioners penniless? Or the £1bn refund fraud bonanza earlier this year? This child benefit clanger is just the latest in a litany of cock-ups that cost taxpayers £500m+ annually in fixes and fines.

The real scandal? While families fester in fear, HMRC's top brass pocket six-figure salaries and splash on "consultancy" fluff. That £450k video interview platform for recruitment? Aye, because nothing says "priority" like fancy tech for hiring more incompetents while helplines ring out to 6 million ghosts. It's a taxpayer mugging, plain and simple – and we're all footing the bill.

Fight Back, Tax Warriors: Your Action Arsenal

Enough wallowing; time to wield the pitchforks. Here's your battle plan to hold these clowns accountable:

• Bombard Your MP: Template email ready? "Demand HMRC halt all suspensions pending full audits. Cite the 23,500 victims and NAO's fraud-waste warnings." CC the Treasury Committee for extra sting.
• Share the Rage: Flood X (that's Twitter for the dinosaurs) with #HMRCChildBenefitBlunder and #TaxDoesHaveToBeTaxing. Tag @HMRCcustomers and @Exchequer – make it viral.
• Claim What's Yours: If you're hit, log into your Personal Tax Account pronto. Appeal via the helpline (good luck) or free advice lines like TaxAid. Document everything – it's your ammo.
• Support the Survivors: Donate to family food banks via Trussell Trust, or back campaigns from Gingerbread for single parents in the firing line.
• Wise Up Long-Term: Arm yourself with knowledge. Grab a copy of Tolley's Tax Planning 2025-26 (via Amazon) to navigate this minefield like a pro. Or dip into Your Rights as a Taxpayer by the CIT (here) for the lowdown on benefit appeals. Knowledge is power, and power is payback.

There you have it – HMRC's child benefit catastrophe laid bare, a festering reminder that when the taxman plays God with data, it's the little guy who bleeds. Got your own horror story? Spill it in the comments below; let's build the chorus. And remember, tax does have to be taxing – but it shouldn't be torturous. Stay savage, stay solvent.

Ken Frost, November 11, 2025

Tax does have to be taxing.



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 Helpline Hell: 6 Million Unanswered Calls in 2024/25 – Taxpayers Left Screaming into the Void

 

Buckle up, fellow tax warriors – if "HMRC unanswered calls 2024" or "HMRC helpline nightmare" has you raging at your screen, you're not alone in this festering pit of bureaucratic bollocks. I'm Ken Frost, the grizzled FCA firebrand who's been eviscerating HMRC's shower of incompetence for 19 long years on this blog and across the kenfrost.com empire. 

And today? 

Oh, today we're torching this travesty with the full force of facts, fury, and a healthy dose of sarcasm. Because let's face it: when one in five calls to the taxman goes unanswered over the last decade – that's a staggering 83 million desperate pleas ignored – it's not a glitch. It's a goddamn disgrace.

Picture this: you're a hardworking sole trader in Manchester, sweating over your Self Assessment deadline, or a pensioner in Penzance just trying to sort a piddling pension query. You dial 0300 200 3300, heart in mouth, only to be met by an endless symphony of hold music that makes Vivaldi sound like speed metal. And after 18 agonising minutes on average? Click. Dead air. No help. No resolution. Just you, abandoned in the cold grip of taxpayer hell. In 2024/25 alone, over 6 million calls went unanswered – that's more than 17,000 souls a day left twisting in the wind, unable to get a scrap of support from the very service that's meant to serve them. We're talking about the lifeblood of Britain's economy – small businesses, families, the lot – hung out to dry by an outfit that's more interested in digital pipe dreams than picking up the bloody phone.

This isn't hyperbole, my old muckers. It's the cold, hard reality of HMRC's call centre catastrophe, a slow-motion car crash that's been brewing since the coalition cock-ups of yesteryear. As we stare down the barrel of another budget black hole, with £46.8 billion in unpaid taxes festering like an open wound (much of it from the SMEs they claim to champion), it's high time we eviscerated this farce once and for all. So, grab a cuppa (or something stronger), and let's dive into the stats, the sob stories, and the shambolic excuses that make you wonder if HMRC's middle name is "Incompetence."

The Eye-Watering Stats: A Decade of Dialling into the Abyss

Let's not mince words – HMRC's phone lines aren't just under strain; they're a full-blown administrative apocalypse. Over the past 10 years, they've failed to answer one in five calls from taxpayers begging for basics: tax code clarifications, refund chases, penalty pleas. That's 83 million missed opportunities to actually do their sodding job. Zoom in on 2024/25, and the picture gets even uglier. Provisional figures from the tax behemoth itself peg the average wait time at a soul-crushing 18 minutes and 44 seconds across the year, with March 2025 hitting 14 minutes and 44 seconds – as if that's some badge of honour.

But unanswered? That's the real kick in the goolies. Six million-plus calls ghosted in a single fiscal year, equating to 17,000+ people daily dialling into oblivion. And it's not just the volume; it's the vicious cycle it feeds. MPs like Gideon Amos are baying for reform, slamming this as a "fast-track" failure that leaves pensioners and punters alike in the lurch. Wendy Chamberlain MP echoes the outrage, demanding better for the grey-pound brigade who's already weathered enough economic storms.

To break it down, here's a quick table of HMRC's helpline horrors (sourced from official dross and watchdog whacks):

Year/Period	Unanswered Calls	Avg. Wait Time	Daily Impact
2014-2024 (Decade Total)	83 million	N/A	~22,700/day
2023/24	~4 million	16+ minutes	~11,000/day
2024/25 (Provisional)	6+ million	18:44 mins	17,000+/day

These aren't abstract numbers – they're the soundtrack to sleepless nights for Britain's battlers. And with HMRC projecting even worse for the coming year? Buckle up, indeed. It's like they're auditioning for a sequel to Brazil, but with more accents and less charm.

Real Lives Ruined: Taxpayer Tales from the Hold-Music Trenches

Stats are one thing; the human cost? That's where the bile really rises. Take "Sarah" from Leeds – not her real name, but her nightmare sure as hell is. In April 2025, she rang HMRC 50 bloody times over a phantom £20k tax bill that materialised out of thin air. Fifty calls. That's two full working weeks of redialling purgatory, only to learn it was a glitch in their glitch-riddled system. "I was suicidal," she told The Times, her voice cracking over the line that finally connected. Sarah's not unique; she's the poster child for a system that's weaponised indifference.

Or consider the small business owners hammered by helpline errors in July 2025. Apex Accountants reported a spate of basic blunders – wrong advice on VAT thresholds, mangled NI contributions – leaving punters out of pocket and out of their minds. One outfit in Birmingham lost £5k in erroneous penalties because the advisor on the other end (after a 25-minute wait) misread their records. "It's deliberate degradation," blasts the Public Accounts Committee, accusing HMRC of starving phone services to shove us all online – where, surprise, the site's down half the time anyway.

And don't get me started on the vulnerable. Pensioners, disabled claimants, the self-employed scraping by post-Brexit – they're the cannon fodder in this call-centre cull. The NAO's 2024 report paints a grim portrait: customer satisfaction in the toilet, with 66.4% of interactions leaving folks fuming. Complaints surged 10% in 2023/24, hitting 1,046 at the Adjudicator's Office alone. It's not service; it's sabotage. HMRC's not just dropping calls – they're dropping the ball on trust, one unanswered ring at a time.

HMRC's Excuses: A Masterclass in Bureaucratic Bullshit

Ah, the excuses. Where to begin with this parade of platitudes? "We're investing in digital," they bleat, as if shoving taxpayers onto a website that's crashed more times than a drunk at last orders fixes the phone famine. The PAC isn't buying it – they reckon it's a calculated cull, designed to "degrade" access and save a few quid, all while raking in £500k on video-interview vanity projects that go nowhere. (Remember that gem from October? Taxpayers footing the bill for tech tat – classic HMRC.)

Then there's the staffing shambles: under-resourced, over-stretched, with wait times ballooning despite £50m extra dosh. Bosses admit 2023/24 was a "difficult period," but that's code for "we cocked it up royally." And the bias? Don't make me laugh – or cry. Benefit claimants waltz through in 3 minutes flat, while taxpayers stew for 18. It's favouritism dressed as efficiency, a middle finger to the makers who keep this sinking ship afloat.

In short: shite excuses from a shite service. Time to call time on the charade.

Fight Back: Arm Yourself Against HMRC's Helpline Hades

Right, enough ranting – let's get tactical, tax warriors. You don't have to take this lying down. Here's your roadmap to reclaiming sanity (and maybe a few quid) when HMRC ghosts you:

1. Document the Despair: Log every call – date, time, duration, hold music hell. Screenshots of online crashes too. It's ammo for complaints.

2. Escalate Like a Pro: Hit the complaints line (yes, it exists: 0300 200 3319), then the Adjudicator if they stonewall. MPs' surgeries are gold for pensioners – Wendy Chamberlain's lot are on the case.

3. Go Digital, But Smart: Use the app or portal, but cross-check with pros. And if you're drowning in debt disputes? Grab a copy of Tolley's Tax Planning – the bible for dodging HMRC's dodgy demands. Buy it here and arm yourself for the fray .

4. Join the Chorus: Share your horror story in the comments below. We're building a wall of witness against this wall of waste. 

5. Stay Sharp with Allies: Dive into The Taxpayer's Survival Guide for insider hacks on helpline horrors. Grab it now – because knowledge is the ultimate comeback.

There you have it – not just a rant, but a rebellion blueprint. Because if HMRC won't answer the call, we will. Loudly. Relentlessly. Until the shite stops.

Tax does have to be taxing. But so does fighting the good fight. Got a helpline horror? Spill it below – let's make some noise.

Ken Frost
FCA | Blogger | HMRC Eviscerator
kenfrost.com | Follow the fray on X @Ken_Frost
Posted 7 November 2025

Tax does have to be taxing.



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 Refund Fraud 2025: London Taxpayer EF's £2,500 Nightmare

Buckle up, fellow tax warriors—if "HMRC refund fraud 2025" or "HMRC phone impersonation scam" brought you here, you're in good (if furious) company. I'm Ken Frost, the FCA firebrand dishing 19 years of unvarnished HMRC shite on this blog (and my "Living Brand" empire at kenfrost.com), and today's evisceration spotlights a gut-wrenching case that's pure Westminster witchcraft: London accountant EF, whose tidy £2,500 tax credit was swiped by a phone fraudster in January, with HMRC not just enabling the heist but slapping him with a debt demand. No alerts? No safeguards? Just a cheque mailed to crooks and months of ignored pleas? 

This isn't a glitch—it's gross negligence, part of a £47m scam spree hitting 100,000 victims. If you're reeling from HMRC giving refunds to fraudsters or chasing phantom arrears, rant below—your stories fuel the fight. And for personalised armour? Book a consult via my sidebar (£150/hr). Let's torch this travesty.

EF's £2,500 Phone Fraud Fiasco: From Credit Bliss to HMRC's Debt Dunce Cap

Spool back to January 2025: EF, a prudent Londoner outsourcing his self-assessment to a trusted accountancy firm, spots a five-day £2,500 credit window—overpaid payments on account, pre-finalisation. Harmless blip, right? Wrong. Enter the impersonator: Armed with pilfered personal details (likely from a firm hack or phishing blitz), the scammer dials HMRC's helpline, spins a "repayment claim" yarn, and—voilà—HMRC verifies verbally (date of birth, address, recent payments) and dispatches a cheque to a bogus address. No red flags? No secondary checks? EF hears zilch until the hammer drops: Letters from January onward demanding £2,500 plus interest, branding him a debtor. Debt collectors pile on; EF's credit score tanks.

HMRC's phone "protocols"? A farce. Their 2025 guidelines mandate "robust voice ID checks," yet overworked reps—slashed by Rachel Reeves' "efficiency" edicts—rubber-stamp payouts sans biometrics or anomaly flags. EF's firm flagged 13 identical hits on clients, screaming data breach, but HMRC stonewalled. 

As EF fumed to The Guardian: 

"Since January, I’ve received numerous letters from HM Revenue and Customs stating that I owe £2,500 plus interest. My accountant and I have written to HMRC explaining that my tax account is fully paid up, but have received no reply. I’ve since been chased by a debt collector." 

Criminal? Borderline misconduct—enabling theft then victim-blaming.

The £47m Refund Fraud Tsunami: HMRC's Stats of Shame (And Why EF's Just the Tip)

EF's ordeal isn't solo, it's symptomatic of HMRC's scam sieve. Per their June bombshell, fraudsters looted £47m via bogus claims on 100,000 accounts, with phone impersonations surging 40%. Treasury Committee roasted them for secrecy; NAO slammed "inadequate controls." Here's the ledger of shame:

HMRC Fraud Flavour	2025 Victims (Est.)	Avg. Rip-Off	HMRC's Epic Fail	Victim Hell
Phone Impersonation (EF-Style)	12,000+	£2,000-£5,000	Verbal checks bypassed; no fraud pings.	Debt chases, ignored appeals, credit wreckage.
Phishing "Refund" Baits	25,000	£500-£2,000	Fake alerts mimic portal; unpatched holes.	ID theft, frozen refunds.
Account Hack Claims	7,500	£3,000+	Weak APIs let scammers file fakes.	£500m+ taxpayer bailout via hikes.
Helpline Handovers	3,800	£1,800 avg.	45-min waits breed shortcuts post-cuts.	70% wait 3+ months for fixes.

Reeves' "tough on dodgers" rhetoric? Laughable, her department's the enabler. (See my PalArse roast on her lies.) EF's 13-firm cluster hints at targeted breaches; HMRC denied links initially, only folding post-Guardian probe.

Claw It Back: EF's Roadmap to HMRC Justice (Your 2025 Scam Survival Kit)

EF clawed victory via media muscle, but you don't need headlines. Here's the blueprint for "recover HMRC stolen refund" warriors:

1. Lock Down Fast: Report to Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk); freeze credit (Experian free trial). SAR your HMRC records for the scam trail.

2. Confront the Beast: Dial 0300 200 3310 or complaints form, cite "negligent payout" under Compensation Act 2006/GDPR Art 82. Demand refund + 8.5% interest. Escalate to Adjudicator (free, 4 weeks).

3. Evidence Blitz: Screenshots of credits, call logs, accountant letters. CC your MP—spotlight kills bureaucracy.

Persistence slayed EF's dragon, yours next?

HMRC's Impersonation Indignity: A Call to Arms Against the Tax Tyrants

EF's saga screams reform: Mandatory biometrics, scam alerts, exec scalps. With 2.5m filings looming, this £47m blotch stains Labour's "integrity" badge. Reeves? Silent enabler. 

Got EF-level shite? Share it here.

Tax does have to be taxing... but theft? Unforgivable. Brought to you by www.kenfrost.com 'The Living Brand'. #HMRCRefundFraud #HMRCPhoneScam2025 #TaxImpersonationTheft #RecoverHMRCDebt #UKScamStories

Tax does have to be taxing.


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 Shambolic Child Benefit Blunder: 23,500 Families Branded Fraudsters in Data Disaster – When Will They Learn?

Oh, HMRC, you absolute shower of incompetence. Just when we thought your bungled Universal Credit debacles and endless tax code cock-ups were the pinnacle of bureaucratic idiocy, you've gone and outdone yourselves. In a fresh outrage that's left 23,500 families – yes, 23,500 – reeling from wrongful child benefit suspensions, the taxman has paused its so-called "crackdown on overseas fraud." Why? Because your shiny new system, built on dodgy Home Office travel records, decided to treat hardworking UK parents like international benefit scroungers. All because their return flights from a cheeky holiday or a work jaunt didn't ping your glitchy radar.

If you're a parent who's ever dared to step foot outside the UK – for a weekend in Amsterdam, a family trip to France, or even to collect a loved one's remains – buckle up. This is HMRC's latest masterclass in how not to run a benefits system, and it's got "shite" written all over it. Let's eviscerate this farce, shall we?

The HMRC Child Benefit Crackdown: A Fraud Hunt That Hunted the Wrong Prey

Picture this: HMRC launches a high-tech assault on "overseas fraud" in child benefits, cross-referencing Home Office border data to sniff out parents supposedly living abroad full-time. Sounds efficient, right? Wrong. Spectacularly, catastrophically wrong.

The glitch? Incomplete travel records from the Home Office. Returns via routes like Dublin Airport (a lifeline for Northern Ireland families) or cancelled flights from Heathrow simply vanished from your databases. Suddenly, a one-night work trip to the Netherlands in 2023 morphs into "permanent emigration." A day out in Amsterdam to prep autistic kids for travel? Boom – you're a fraudster. Even a week in Warsaw with a return via Edinburgh? Poof, gone.

Result? 23,500 families hit with suspension letters, their child benefit payments frozen mid-month. That's tens of thousands of kids whose families were left scrambling for basics, all because HMRC's data-sharing with the Home Office is about as reliable as a chocolate teapot. And get this: Some parents were grilled on bank statements from 2021 – years before their kids were even born – to "prove" they weren't moonlighting as expat chancers.

This isn't oversight; it's institutional malpractice. HMRC's child benefit error has turned a vital safety net into a stress-inducing snare, disproportionately hammering vulnerable families in Northern Ireland and beyond. If you're searching for "HMRC child benefit suspension data error," you're not alone – and you're furious for good reason.

Real Families, Real Heartache: Parents Speak Out on HMRC's Fraudster Smear

Don't just take my word for it. The human cost of this HMRC data fiasco is gut-wrenching. Parents – everyday taxpayers who've poured their lives into the UK – were left feeling like criminals in their own homes. Here's a taste of the devastation, straight from those caught in the crossfire:

• The Amsterdam Work Trip Nightmare: One Belfast mum, whose baby was conceived after her 2023 business jaunt, got a letter accusing her of never returning. "My baby was born in Belfast in October 2024 and has never left," she fumed. "I had travelled for one night for work and now Big Brother wants me to explain what I was doing before the baby even existed to claim child benefits." HMRC, meet basic chronology.

• Cancelled Flight Fiasco: A London parent provided ironclad proof of a scrapped Heathrow flight and their teen's school records. HMRC's response? A second demand for three months of 2021 bank statements. "I feel like a victim of discrimination," she said, after 20 years of Scottish residency and tax-paying loyalty. Hitting a wall? Try slamming into a brick one labelled "HMRC Ineptitude."

• Holiday Horror Stories: From repatriating a late husband's body in France to a Warsaw getaway with unrecorded Edinburgh landing, families were bombarded with 73-question interrogations. One Polish-British dual national called it "a huge shock... very stressful and upsetting." Unwelcome in her own country? Thanks, HMRC – nothing says "hostile environment" like treating families as suspects.

These aren't edge cases; they're the norm in HMRC's flawed system. Hundreds in Northern Ireland alone lost payments because Dublin flights don't sync with your UK border logs. Parents treated as fraudsters? It's not hyperbole – it's policy.

If you've been stung by this HMRC child benefit crackdown, drop your story in the comments. You're part of a growing chorus demanding accountability.

HMRC's Response: Too Little, Too Late – And Still Shite

Faced with backlash from a Guardian investigation (kudos to them for exposing this), HMRC issued a mealy-mouthed "second apology in as many days." They've paused suspensions – huzzah! – and pledged an "urgent review" to cross-check with PAYE records. Affected families get a dedicated helpline, with a specialist team fast-tracking reinstatements sans the upfront inquisition.

But let's not kid ourselves: This is damage control, not reform. HMRC admits the letters went to just 0.5% of 6.9 million claimants, but that's cold comfort when your fridge is empty. Wimbledon MP Paul Kohler is rightly demanding answers from the Treasury and Northern Ireland Office – why no coordination with Irish authorities? Why no safeguards for families?

In true HMRC fashion, they're still insisting on a month's notice for eligibility checks. Paused? Sure. Fixed? About as much as your tax return app during peak season.

Why HMRC's Child Benefit Data Error is the Tip of a Toxic Iceberg

This isn't a one-off. It's symptomatic of a rotten core: AI-driven "efficiency" without human oversight, cross-agency data that's more holey than Swiss cheese, and a fraud obsession that punishes the innocent. Remember the Universal Credit wrongful deductions? The tax credit clawbacks that bankrupted families? Same playbook, different victims.

Broader implications? Eroding trust in a benefits system already creaking under cost-of-living pressures. Northern Ireland families face extra hurdles thanks to post-Brexit border quirks, while the rest of us wonder: Who's next? The disabled claimant with a forgotten doctor's note? The pensioner whose passport scan glitched?

HMRC, your child benefit crackdown pause is a band-aid on a gaping wound. Until you invest in robust data, empathetic processes, and actual accountability, you'll keep churning out these scandals. Families aren't fraudsters – but your incompetence? That's criminal.

Join the Fight Against HMRC Shite

Had enough of HMRC's endless errors? Share this post, vent in the comments, or email your MP. At HMRC is Shite, we're here to call out the crap – subscribe for more rants, tips on fighting back, and the latest on child benefit appeals.

What’s your HMRC horror story? Let’s make some noise.

Tax does have to be taxing.


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 Shocking Bias Exposed: Benefit Claimants Get 3 Minute Calls While Taxpayers Endure 18 Minute Nightmares

 

In a move that reeks of government favouritism and bureaucratic incompetence, HMRC is treating hardworking taxpayers like second-class citizens. While you're sweating over your self-assessment or scrambling to sort a PAYE glitch, benefit claimants breeze through to a human advisor in just three minutes. That's right: Universal Credit queries are answered six times faster than the soul-crushing waits faced by everyday taxpayers phoning HMRC helplines. If you're fed up with HMRC phone wait times that drag on for an eternity, you're not alone. This disparity isn't just frustrating – it's a blatant injustice that demands accountability. Let's eviscerate this farce and uncover why HMRC is failing the very people who fund the welfare state.

The Stark Reality: 3 Minutes for Benefits vs. 18 Minutes of Taxpayer Hell

Picture this: You're a small business owner, buried in paperwork, dialling HMRC for urgent advice on VAT returns. The hold music loops endlessly, and after 18 minutes on average, you finally connect – only to be shuttled to another queue. Now contrast that with a Universal Credit claimant: Their call to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) helpline is picked up in a mere three minutes between March and October last year. Over the past four years, no UC caller has waited more than five minutes.

It's not just UC getting the red-carpet treatment. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) queries sail through in 11 minutes, while overall benefit lines are handled six times faster than HMRC's taxpayer torture chamber. Customer satisfaction? DWP boasts an 85% approval rate for UC services (up from 83%), and PIP hit 83% – a six-point jump. HMRC? A pathetic 62% of callers report a positive experience. It's like comparing a luxury spa to a dystopian call centre from hell.

This isn't a one-off glitch; it's systemic rot. Back in March 2024, the gap was even wider – 15 times faster for claimants. Fast-forward to 2025, and little has changed. HMRC's helplines are a war zone of inefficiency, leaving taxpayers – the lifeblood of the economy – twisting in the wind.

Why HMRC's Chronic Understaffing is a Slap in the Face to Taxpayers

HMRC isn't broke; it's broken by choice. Between 2019-2020 and 2023-2024, they slashed frontline customer service staff by a whopping 9%, turning helplines into ghost towns. Where did the money go? A cool £100 million on senior executives' salaries, plus another £100 million for recruiting high-paid compliance bosses, as slammed by the Public Accounts Committee. While fat cats feast, the grunts handling your calls are ghosts.

And the fallout? Taxpayers foot the bill – literally. Benefits for foreign households have doubled in three years, hitting £941 million per month in Universal Credit alone as of March this year – up 30% from last year and 15.5% of total UC payouts. That's your taxes propping up a system that prioritises claimants over contributors. Foreign citizens with indefinite leave or refugee status claim on par with Brits, ballooning the welfare bill to £900 million monthly for non-UK households.

Labour's latest blunder? They scrapped plans in March to force 80,000 more claimants into job hunts, citing an uncontrollable welfare bill explosion. Instead of trimming fat, they're backpedalling on £5 billion annual savings, leaving taxpayers to subsidise the mess. HMRC, with its 40 million customers and 66,000 staff, could fix this overnight with proper funding – but where's the political will?

Taxpayer Frustration Boils Over: "The Government Supports the Paid, Not the Payers"

The outrage is palpable. Former business secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg didn't mince words: "Similarly, the income tax threshold is frozen while benefits go up with inflation. The Government supports those who are paid by the state rather than those who pay for it." He's spot on. While your take-home pay stagnates under frozen thresholds, benefits inflate, and HMRC treats you like an afterthought.

Online, the backlash is fierce. Reddit threads seethe with stories of lost business hours and mounting stress from HMRC wait times. LinkedIn professionals decry the hypocrisy, and X (formerly Twitter) erupts with memes of taxpayers as ATM machines for the idle. This isn't "efficiency" – it's elitism disguised as policy, where the state's dependents get VIP service on the backs of the productive.

HMRC's defence? Crickets. No apologies, no reforms – just more promises of "digital transformation" that never materialise. Meanwhile, you're left refreshing the app, praying for a callback that rarely comes.

Time to Demand Change: How to Fight Back Against HMRC's Unfair Helpline Bias

Enough is enough. This Universal Credit helpline vs HMRC scandal exposes a rotten core in Britain's public services. Taxpayers aren't serfs; we're the engine room. Here's how to push back:

• Contact Your MP: Demand HMRC funding parity with DWP. Cite the 9% staff cuts and £200 million senior splurge – make it personal.
• Join the Chorus: Share your HMRC phone wait time horror stories on social media with #TaxpayerSecondClass. Amplify voices like Rees-Mogg's.
• Opt for Alternatives (Temporarily): Use HMRC's online tools or free agents, but log complaints via their feedback portal to build pressure.
• Vote with Your Wallet: Support parties pledging welfare reforms and tax service overhauls.

HMRC's bias isn't accidental – it's a symptom of a government that worships the dependent class while scorning the strivers. Until we eviscerate this two-tier system, hardworking Brits will keep suffering. Share this if you've been burned by HMRC waits, and let's force real change. Your taxes deserve better than a three-tier queue.

Tax does have to be taxing.



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"

UK Public Sector Hit By Global Internet Outage

 

As per Guido:

Amazon Web Services is down in a major internet outage affecting its clients, which includes thousands of popular websites, apps, and games. No Snapchat for the kids…

AWS is also used extremely widely across the UK public sector. Here are some examples:

• HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC): handles customs, taxation, and border systems.​

Can't wait for digital id!

Tax does have to be taxing.



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 £500,000 Video Interview Blunder: Taxpayers Foot the Bill for Needless Tech Waste

 

In an era where every penny counts amid soaring living costs and squeezed public finances, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is once again under fire for what can only be described as a monumental squander of taxpayer money. The tax authority has unveiled plans to splash out nearly £500,000 on a fancy digital platform for pre-recorded video interviews in its recruitment drive. Yes, you read that right—half a million quid for a tool that lets job hopefuls hit "record" from their living rooms. As HMRC grapples with backlogs and public distrust, this procurement reeks of bureaucratic excess. In this deep dive, we eviscerate HMRC's latest IT folly, exposing why it's a colossal waste and how it fits into the agency's sorry history of digital disasters.

What Exactly is HMRC's Video Interview Platform Plan?

Picture this: You're applying for a desk job at HMRC, and instead of a quick Zoom chat, you're funnelled into a bespoke system where you pre-record answers to scripted questions. That's the gist of HMRC's shiny new procurement notice, published on October 7, 2025, via the UK government's Find a Tender service. The contract? A three-year deal kicking off March 1, 2026, and running until February 28, 2029, with an estimated value of £450,000 (excluding VAT)—that's £540,000 including the dreaded tax on top.

The platform promises a laundry list of features: creating and distributing pre-recorded interview questions, secure candidate recording, user-friendly interfaces for everyone from recruiters to applicants, template management, invitation tracking, progress monitoring, and slick reporting tools. It must be "resilient, scalable, and adaptable" for multiple campaigns, all while ticking boxes for security, accessibility, and data protection under UK laws. HMRC is running this through a Competitive Flexible Procedure on their SAP Ariba portal, with bids opening next month and a decision by February 2026.

On paper, it sounds innovative. In reality? It's a gold-plated gimmick when free tools like Microsoft Teams or Google Meet could handle 90% of this for peanuts. Why fork out half a million when off-the-shelf solutions exist? This isn't rocket science—it's recruitment basics dressed up as cutting-edge tech, all at the expense of the very taxpayers HMRC is meant to serve.

The Shocking Cost Breakdown: Half a Million for What?

Let's break down this eye-watering spend. Over three years, that's roughly £150,000 annually for a system that's essentially a glorified video uploader with admin bells and whistles. HMRC admits the figure is an "estimate" based on "programme delivery," but history tells us these numbers balloon. Remember, this is public money—your income tax, VAT on your groceries, National Insurance from your paycheque—diverted to a vendor who'll pocket the lot for software that's already commoditised.

Critics are piling on, calling it tone-deaf. With HMRC facing a £1.6 billion shortfall in digital modernisation funding as per the latest Spending Review, prioritising a recruitment toy over core services like timely tax refunds or fraud crackdowns is baffling. And let's not forget the opportunity cost: That £500k could fund thousands of hours of staff training or bolster understaffed helplines drowning in calls.

Why This is Peak Bureaucratic Waste: Free Alternatives Abound

Here's the evisceration: This procurement isn't just expensive—it's embarrassingly redundant. Platforms like HireVue, Spark Hire, or even free tiers of Vidyard offer pre-recorded video interviewing out of the box, often for under £10,000 a year for mid-sized orgs. HMRC could integrate these with existing tools like their SAP ecosystem without a custom build. Need templates and tracking? Excel and Google Forms handle that for zero cost.

HMRC's insistence on a "tailor-made" solution smacks of the classic public sector trap: Over-specifying requirements to justify the spend, then watching costs spiral. Security and accessibility? Vital, sure—but these are standard in modern SaaS tools, compliant with GDPR and WCAG without needing a bespoke £450k overhaul. It's as if HMRC recruiters can't be trusted with a webcam unless it's wrapped in proprietary code. This isn't innovation; it's inertia, propping up consultants and vendors while applicants fiddle with glitchy uploads on their smartphones.

In a post-pandemic world where remote interviews are the norm, HMRC's move feels like reinventing the wheel with taxpayer grease. Small businesses and startups manage this daily without breaking the bank—why can't the UK's tax giant?

HMRC's Hall of Shame: A Legacy of IT Catastrophes

This video platform isn't an isolated blunder; it's the latest chapter in HMRC's epic saga of IT failures and wasteful spending. Take Making Tax Digital (MTD), the flagship digital tax overhaul launched in 2016. Billed at £226 million, it ballooned to over £1.3 billion by 2023, plagued by delays, bugs, and "making tax difficult" for small businesses, as slammed by Parliament's Public Accounts Committee. Businesses wasted hours on faulty software, while HMRC's own systems crumbled under the load.

Flash back to 2012: HMRC's £1 billion Connect tax fraud detection project missed "virtually all delivery dates," per a National Audit Office report, wasting millions on vapourware that barely dented evasion. Fast-forward to legacy IT woes—HMRC still burns cash maintaining dinosaur systems, with COVID-era extras alone hitting £53 million in 2020. And don't get us started on the shared services fiasco, rated "red" by watchdogs for budget blowouts and unachievable goals.

These aren't one-offs. Whitehall's IT graveyard is littered with HMRC's corpses: Overspends, under-deliveries, and a culture that rewards failure with more funding. The 2025 Spending Review tossed another £1.6 billion at HMRC's digital desk, yet here we are, £500k lighter on recruitment gimmicks. It's a vicious cycle: Promise transformation, deliver trash, rinse, repeat—all on the public's dime.

The Real Victims: Hardworking Taxpayers Bearing the Brunt

Every pound HMRC wastes is a pound stolen from essential services. That £500k could hire 10 full-time advisors to clear the 8 million-case backlog, or fund anti-fraud tech that actually works. Instead, it's funnelled to a vendor for a platform few will use efficiently. Public trust in HMRC is already in the toilet—accusations of "degrading services as policy" abound, with helplines slashed and digital mandates alienating vulnerable taxpayers.

This isn't abstract; it's personal. Families struggling with energy bills see their taxes vanish into bureaucratic black holes, widening inequality while HMRC pats itself on the back for "modernisation." In an age of austerity for the masses, such profligacy demands outrage.

Time to Hold HMRC Accountable: Demand Better from Your Tax Watchdog

HMRC's £500,000 video interview splurge is the poster child for government waste: Unnecessary, overpriced, and insultingly out of touch. As bids roll in next month, it's imperative MPs, watchdogs, and taxpayers raise hell. Petition your MP, bombard the National Audit Office, and amplify this scandal—because silence equals complicity.

Enough is enough. HMRC exists to collect taxes efficiently, not squander them on shiny distractions. Until accountability reigns, every procurement notice is a potential heist. Stay vigilant, Britain—your money depends on it.

Tax does have to be taxing.



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"