HMRC has been criticised for failing to recognise mental health issues after it continued to target vulnerable taxpayers despite being issued with warnings from medical professionals.
The Telegraph states that is has been contacted by some of its readers who said their mental health had deteriorated because of the way they had been hounded for cash by HMRC.
In some cases this pursuit continued even after HMRC acknowledged that they were vulnerable. In one instance a high-profile figure attempted suicide after HMRC failed to correctly note his vulnerable person status and continued to contact him.
Others have been left unable to work after suffering anxiety and depression as a result of HMRC inquiries, while one reader asked solicitors to intervene on his behalf. These cases highlight the lack of recognition and protection for those with mental health difficulties.
HMRC apologised for not meeting its own guidelines, losing letters and failing to return calls.
Andrew Neil, an IT contractor from Llandudno, sent multiple letters from doctors to HMRC, which ignored them.
HMRC acknowledged that Mr Neil was a vulnerable person in November 2016, but continued to send letters and contact him by telephone. The taxman also lost a letter sent by Mr Neil for almost four months and failed to call his wife back after she tried to intervene.
It has apologised for each of these oversights.
Mr Neil and others are among the thousands of people targeted by the taxman because of the way they structured their finances in the past, using loans instead of payments for their income.
These tax arrangements, which were generally considered legal at the time, have since been challenged by HMRC.
Those who have fallen foul now face large tax bills and penalties, sometimes in the hundreds of thousands of pounds. Because of the way HMRC is seeking to collect the tax, the “loan charge” payments due could be much higher than the amount originally owed.
These tax arrangements, which were generally considered legal at the time, have since been challenged by HMRC.
Those who have fallen foul now face large tax bills and penalties, sometimes in the hundreds of thousands of pounds. Because of the way HMRC is seeking to collect the tax, the “loan charge” payments due could be much higher than the amount originally owed.
HMRC told Telegraph Money it had safeguards in place to support those with mental health problems.That's all very well, but from the above it seems that HMRC does not follow its own rulebook on the subject of mental health!
Tax does have to be taxing.
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