David Gauke

I am grateful for the kindness and patience of all in the tax world - HMRC and HMT officials, tax professionals and campaigners.

— David Gauke (@DavidGauke) July 14, 2016

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"

Whither David Gauke?

Today Theresa de Vil becomes Prime Minister and appoints a new cabinet.

The question is, what will she do with David Gauke who has been responsible for tax reform and "making tax digital"?

Will she keep him where he is, as a vote of confidence in his work to date, or "promote" him away from tax reform?

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 Bright, Bold, New Digital Future

HMRC has today launched its digital accounts for personal taxpayers, and set out details of its “transformative” plans to use technology to cut costs and improve taxpayer service. 

On the assumption that nothing goes wrong, HMRC believes that every individual and small business would have access to their own secure digital tax account next year.

HMRC's "brave" step towards a digital future will theoretically pave the way for the automatic uploading of the information needed by HMRC leading to what it described as “the end of the tax return for millions of taxpayers”.

During 2016, information on bank and building society interest will start to be included in tax codes, removing the need for many taxpayers to report this income separately in a tax return.

The new personal tax accounts are aimed at providing a joined-up view of individuals’ tax and benefits, allowing them to update their tax details as needed and making it easier to contact HMRC officials through services like web chat.

David Gauke, financial secretary to the Treasury, said the new accounts were part of a digital transformation aimed at making the tax system more effective, more efficient and easier for taxpayers.

As per the FT:

“Giving customers the ability to manage their tax affairs online is our latest step towards a fully digital tax system. This government is determined to revolutionise how we deliver public services and the tax system is no exception.”

Well then, let us see how this pans out in reality shall we?

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"

Tax Simplification - Osborne's Dream In Tatters

The latest handbook on tax legislation (as per Smith & Williamson) now runs to a staggering 20,300 pages, and eight volumes (as opposed to the two in 1994/95).

This excludes Finance (No.2) Bill currently going through Parliament following the Summer Budget.

Back in 2010, when the book ran to a mere 11,000, George Osborne said that Britain had "one of the most complex and opaque tax codes in the world" and it needed to be simplified.

I quoted Gauke at the time:

"The tax system created by the previous government was overly complex and has made the tax affairs of millions of families and businesses across the UK extremely complicated.

We need to reduce the complexities in our tax system and the coalition is committed to delivering that goal.

The Office for Tax Simplification will provide important advice that will help inform us in making the right reforms to the tax system that will help to pave the way to bringing more international business to the UK, which will give our economy the boost it so urgently needs in the years ahead."

Osborne in 2011 described the 11,000 pages as a "spaghetti bowl"

"Britain has one of the most complex and opaque tax codes in the world.

And he wanted a "permanent body to push against the forces of complication" and make life easier for firms.

Announcing the new body, Mr Osborne said his "dream" was "that people might actually understand the tax laws which with they actually being asked to comply with".

How's that working out for you then George?

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"

Gauke Speaks

.@DavidGauke: HMRC has clear vision and is moving towards a cost effective, modern, improved service #ICAEW_Budget pic.twitter.com/uLpBBFqMtB

— ICAEW (@ICAEW) July 9, 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"

Financial Secretary To The Treasury

Any bets as to who will be Financial Secretary to the Treasury?


UPDATE


It's Gauke.

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"

Gauke Speaks

@DavidGauke 'Our system depends upon tax professionals keeping us compliant' #icasge2015 . Good to acknowledge that. @ICASaccounting

— Ali Kennedy (@1happyrunner) March 25, 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"

Gauke Shoots Down HMRC Proposal

HMRC, taking a cue from its political masters, really has a bee in its bonnet over tax avoidance. As such it is champing at the bit to "name and shame" people who persistently avoid paying their ‘fair share’ (whatever "fair share" actually means in reality).

In fact HMRC is so keen to name and shame people that it has issued a consultation paper, Strengthening Sanctions for Tax Avoidance, where it asks whether publicly naming “serial avoiders” would be effective and proportionate.

Unsurprisingly, HMRC has realised that such a power would require “especially careful handling”.

Aside from the fact that avoidance is legal and, as such, naming and shaming people for not breaking the law sounds a tad shitty; the question stands, can HMRC be trusted with such a power?

Chas Roy-Chowdhury, head of tax at the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants, is unimpressed. He is quoted by ContractorUK:

“It sets a dangerous precedent to ‘name and shame’ taxpayers who are acting within the law.

Rather than looking at ways to introduce more punitive punishments on to those looking to exploit the myriad complexities of our taxation system, the government would be better served focusing its efforts on bringing greater clarity and simplicity to the system”.

HMRC wants to use the name and shame technique to encourage "behaviour change"; this is part and parcel of the government's "nudge" techniques, crafted by psychologists and designed to manipulate us into behaving in a manner that the state approves of.

Those who wish to comment on this have until 12th March.

Ironically David Gauke shoots down the whole proposal in his foreword:

“There remains a small but hardened core of tax avoiders who…remain indifferent to public outrage at tax avoidance”.

In other words these people won't give a flying fark about being named!

Thus one is left wondering:

- What is the point of this?

- Can HMRC be trusted with such a power?

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"

DRD Plans Watered Down - Seemingly

The Treasury's Direct Recovery of Debts (DRD) plans have, seemingly, been watered down. The plans now come with a number of safeguards; eg taxpayers will be afforded the right of appeal at court before any funds can be emptied from their bank accounts.

There will be a guaranteed face-to-face contact with an HMRC officer and the creation of a specialist unit to deal with cases involving vulnerable members of society, as well as the provision of a dedicated DRD team and helpline.

Additionally, action will only be taken against those with over £1,000 of tax or tax credits debt, a minimum of £5,000 will be left across debtors' accounts, a lien will only be placed on the funds in the affected account up to the value of the debt and the recalcitrant taxpayers will have 30 days (twice as long as originally planned) to contact HMRC and arrange repayment.

Many people are hailing this as a victory, and are expressing gratitude to the government for listening. All very well, and polite. However, I would make two observations:

1 There are perfectly adequate means, via the courts, already at the disposal of HMRC to recover tax debts. These extra powers are unnecessary.

2 The above modifications are merely "promises" made by Gauke et al. Until the proposed legislation is actually scrutinised, those offering thanks for a "listening" government may care to take their feet off the "gratitude pedal" and stop kowtowing.


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 Sparkling Digital Future

As per The Journal, HMRC have opened a "pioneering" digital centre in Benton, Newcastle.

David Gauke opened the centre, the first of its kind, which will help hundreds of thousands of people deal with their finances online.

Gauke said: 

“Being digital by default not only means creating simpler and better services for millions of HMRC customers, but saving tax payers’ money in the process too.

It’s a privilege to open the new HMRC digital delivery centre in Newcastle, which is pioneering the way in making services better and cheaper.

I look forward to seeing the results of their innovative work in the coming months and years.”

Gauke sat in on a "customer" feedback session during his visit.

"Customers" had a chance to preview new transactions online which are currently in development, such as ‘friends and family’, which allows someone to nominate a person to act on their behalf in their tax matters.

They then fed back to the teams what they liked and disliked about the service on different platforms, and how it can be improved.

Their comments will be taken on in the next design stage of the services to benefit future customers who will use it when it is fully rolled out.

Hey Hoh!

The future is firmly in front of us!

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"

Gauke Promoted

David Gauke is promoted to Financial Secretary to the Treasury. #Reshuffle

Priti Patel takes his place.

However, Gauke will maintain responsibility for HMRC.

Delighted (a) to continue with current tax role in the Treasury and (b) to do so at Minister of State level as Financial Secretary.

— David Gauke (@DavidGauke) July 15, 2014

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"

Beware Retrospective Tax Legislation

As per The Law Society Gazette:

"A ‘disturbing pattern’ is emerging where legislation is introduced with ‘minimal or ineffective’ consultation.

Concerns are raised that tax policymakers are ‘insufficiently conscious’ of the importance of the rule of law and over-reliant on guidance. The current government, it adds, has legislated retrospectively against certain types of stamp duty land tax avoidance schemes even though they had been known to HMRC for some time.

‘We do not consider that this is acceptable. Businesses must know that the law in place when transactions take place will be the law that applies to them’.

‘This principle is either absolute or it is nothing – once it has been broken once, further breaches are only questions of degree,‘ the committee says.“

The government is ignoring the rule of law, you have been warned!

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"

Service Matters

My thanks to loyal readers for posting an interesting and civil series of comments on the open thread (the serial spammer has been dealt with).

I see one of the news issues raised related to HMRC service standards.

Economia reported that the ICAEW Tax Faculty has told David Gauke that service levels are still not at an acceptable level, and that members aren't too chuffed about HMRC chasing incorrect RTI liabilities and the proposed new power to collect tax debts direct from bank accounts.

Performance statistics for the quarter ended 31 December 2013 showed that HMRC's overall telephone call performance over the period had fallen by 5.4% when compared with the same quarter in 2012.

Although the number of telephone calls to HMRC contact centres handled within five minutes over the period was up by 24.2% when compared with Q3 2013, this still meant a success rate of just 66.6%.

The Faculty has asked HMRC to increase the number of front line staff deployed to answering phone calls at peak times of the year, so that calls can be answered more efficiently.

It would also like to see better training across the board, so that staff answering calls are able to deal with issues more effectively.

These requests are all very well. However, given the ongoing restructuring in HMRC, the squeeze on budgets and moves to towards more automation these requests will I fear fall upon deaf ears.

It seems that the introduction in November last year of HMRC’s intelligent telephony automation (ITA) system, which includes speech automated security to identify callers’ identities, has also caused some irritation.

For why?

Seemingly the system fails to recognise key words such as “trusts” and “Intrastat”.

As per the ICAEW quoted by economia:

“Our members expressed frustration that when the ITA failed to recognise key words to connect them to an adviser, they hung up, redialled and tried again using different key words. This increases the user’s overall call time, costs and dissatisfaction.”

Thus the ICAEW recommends a return to the old system of pressing a number on the phone to find the right part of the menu.


All in all the concerns about call handling, RTI and PAYE issues have given the ICAEW less than stellar confidence in granting HMRC powers to raid bank accounts.

Let us see how that pans out!

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"

Record Breaking Tax Haul

The media are reporting that HMRC has raised a record £23.9BN in additional tax for the year to the end of March, as a result of a "crackdown on tax avoidance". 

HMRC state that the increased yield (almost £1BN higher that the Chancellor's target) is as a result of its investigations. Surely, if it has achieved this increase via investigations then not all of this relates to "avoidance" but must also relate to "evasion"?

Treasury minister David Gauke is quoted by the BBC:

"HMRC will pursue those seeking to avoid their responsibilities and will collect the taxes that are due.

The government is determined to tackle the minority that seek to avoid paying the taxes they owe."

Whilst the media and Gauke talk purely of "avoidance", HMRC note that £8BN came from large business, £1BN from criminals and £2.7BN from tackling avoidance schemes in courts.

Therefore part of this relates to evasion.

Anyhoo, that aside, HMRC has said it expects to secure £100BN between May 2010 and March 2015 as a result of its investigations into unpaid tax.

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"

No Minister!

The Guardian recently reported that Treasury minister, David Gauke, has been reported to HMRC for advertising an unpaid six-month "training post" at his constituency office.

For why has he been reported?

HMRC is in charge of enforcing the national minimum wage law for workers and interns, and only last month launched a crackdown on employers not paying the minimum wage and promised to investigate all cases referred to them in which firms use long-term unpaid interns.

HMRC has also warned businesses that they could be "publicly named and shamed" and may be liable for a £5,000 fine if they are found to be in breach of national minimum wage laws.

Gauke said:

"This is advertised as a position for a volunteer, enabling the successful applicant to gain experience of political campaigning and office work – working alongside association officers who are also volunteers."

Gus Baker from Intern Aware said:

"Based on David Gauke's previous advertisement for unpaid interns, at Intern Aware we find his latest advert for an unpaid training post to be highly suspicious.

David Gauke should know that if this intern is doing real work under a contract they will be entitled to the national minimum wage. As he is the minister responsible for HMRC, which enforces minimum wage law, he should know better."

An HMRC spokesperson said:

"HMRC cannot discuss individual cases for legal reasons. Anyone who thinks they are not being paid the legal wage can call HMRC's Pay and Workers Rights hotline on 0800 917 2398."

A case of do as we say, not as we do!

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 Simplicity Awards

On the 3rd of December HMRC presented awards to those who, in the opinion of the judges, have helped make the tax system more simple and transparent.

Members of the judging panel included recent British Accountancy Awards Outstanding Contribution winner Paul Aplin, Tax Aid's Rosina Pullman and Taxation's Mike Truman. HMRC's panel members were Jim Harra, Ruth Owen and Jennie Granger.

The recipients were:

- Public Protection Division of Blackpool Council - for its support of the Blackpool Holiday Industry taskforce launched in July 2013;

- Karen Thomson, Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals and member of HMRC's Administrative Burdens Advisory Board - for helping to ensure that the impact of Real Time Information (RTI) on employers and their payroll processes was minimal;

- Philip Paur, Deloitte - for his contribution to the development and delivery of HMRC's policy and operational delivery on expatriate taxes;

- Brian Palmer, AAT - for his dedication to transparency, including being instrumental in driving HMRC's decision to publish information about post and contact centre performance.

The awards were presented by David Gauke, who is quoted by Accountancyage:

"There is some excellent work going on between HMRC and the tax community. By listening to and working with tax professionals HMRC can make the tax system in the UK as simple and transparent as possible."  

A fair way to go though methinks!


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"

Gauke Backs Tax Avoidance

My thanks to a loyal reader who sent me a link to an HMRC/HMT document entitled "Reducing Tax Evasion and Avoidance" (updated 8 October 2013), signed off by David Gauke.

The final paragraph states:

"Tax avoidance means using whatever legal means possible to reduce the amount of money that a company or individual pays in taxes."

In other words David Gauke, HMRC and HMT have no problem with tax avoidance.

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"

Gauke Speaks

As per PayeRti.org:

"David Gauke MP: "I am pleased that RTI ... is also performing a vital role by reducing fraud and error in the Universal Credit system."

Comments and views are more than welcome!

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"

Politics Before Common Sense

Tonight's Panorama "Tax, Lies and Videotape", to be shown on BBC One at 20:30 BST, will be gemusing.

It shows David Heaton, who was secretly filmed at a London conference "101 Ideas for Personal Tax Planning" a few months ago, offering tips on how to keep money "out of the chancellor's grubby mitts".

Nothing wrong with that at all, except that in today's febrile atmosphere (whipped up by sound bite politicians and the media) over tax avoidance Mr Heaton then made an unfortunate career move. Two months after the conference he then joined an HMRC panel advising HMRC and the courts about artificial and aggressive tax avoidance.

In past days such a move would not cause the bat of an eyelid. However, the political atmosphere is different and as such Mr Heaton has resigned from his HMRC role.

The BBC reports that Mr Heaton was caught on camera describing a maternity scheme he called the Bump Plan.

"Ninety per cent of what you pay out ends up with the employee. You can't really knock that one."

By deliberately timing bonuses to enable an increased rebate on maternity pay, the tax paid on the bonus would effectively fall from 41.8% to just 8.4%, he explained.

HMRC have stated that it would regard such a scheme as "an abuse" and would challenge anyone using it.

David Gauke said:

"Mr Heaton's statements are directly at odds with the government's approach to tackling tax avoidance, therefore it is right that Mr Heaton resigns from his position."

Margaret Hodge said she was "shocked" by Mr Heaton's comments.

"This is an absolutely classic example of where government passes a law with a particular intent and the tax advisers then abuse that and use it for a purpose that was never intended by government."

It seems to me that if HMRC wants to keep up with the real world, it should welcome people such as Mr Heaton with open arms. Unfortunately politics has come before common sense.

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.

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HMRC To Access Credit Card Records

As from 1 September HMRC now has the power to access credit and debit card records paid to UK business dating back four years.

HMRC claim that no personal data, such as cardholder information or card numbers, will be collected. However, it will be able to acquire information relating to the number and value of transactions completed by any individual trader.

HMRC says it will analyse the data by cross-referencing and comparing with information it already holds to flag up and subsequently investigate noticeable differences.

Syria vote absentee David Gauke is quoted by economia:

“Tax evasion and the hidden economy cost the taxpayer £9bn a year. While the majority of traders are honest, they may find themselves undercut by the minority who seek to lower prices by cheating the tax system. 

The government has given HMRC nearly £1bn to tackle fraud and evasion, and these new powers give HMRC an extra tool to ensure a level playing field between businesses, and also reducing opportunities for those who try and cheat the system.” 

The first requests for the data will be sent to merchant acquirers this week and from next year this will be an annual request.

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"