Debt Collection Farmed Out

A few weeks ago I noted the following:

"HMRC debt collection agents out in the field are now forbidden from contacting HMRC offices to validate the debts that they are being asked to collect.

For why?

It seems that the support teams back at base do not have the time to take phone calls.

That at least is the official explanation given to the field farce. However, it is widely suspected that the real reason is that HMRC is preparing the ground for this work to be given to private debt collection agencies. These private agencies, quite correctly, will not be able to phone up HMRC offices and ask for details from confidential records.

FYI, the budget announced that another £500M of debt would be handed over to private debt collection agencies to chase.

For why?

Well it seems that a pilot scheme went very well for the debt collection agencies.

The agencies were given a tranche of work to do, and a control tranche was left with HMRC teams (but was left completely untouched).

Can you guess what happened?

Yes, that's right, the debt collection agencies won!

Simple!"

The FT now reports that four debt collection agencies (Commercial Collection Services, Credit Solutions, Fairfax Solicitors and iQor Recovery Services) will be used by HMRC to collect an extra £140M of tax owed this year.

I dare say a wander through Google may well highlight the "house style" and "idiosyncrasies" of these firms (eg iQor Recovery).

HMRC cite the fact that their "pilot scheme" (that I referred to a few weeks ago) was so successful, that using private firms is therefore a good idea.

We shall see!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

What is TAXWISE?

TAXWISE 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 Taxwise

Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

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 Owes £3BN

Yesterday's list of certain HMRC email addresses caused a degree of consternation amongst some readers, who expressed concern that "bulk emailing" people would produce no tangible beneficial result.

Were HMRC a well run organisation, with only the occasional blip wrt "customer care", which had effective and efficient means of communication to/from the taxpayer then I would be inclined to agree.

However, it doesn't:

-There is a postal backlog of at least 8 weeks.

-Call centres are overloaded.

-There are no email addresses (or indeed web contact forms) published on the HMRC.

The taxpayer has little option left than to make a "protest", and to show how dissatisfied they are with how their tax communications/problems are being handled.

Bulk mailing that, in effect, "jams up the works" will force those responsible for the mess that HMRC has become to focus their minds a little more on the problems that taxpayers (and indeed HMRC staff) are having.

Sorry folks, the traditional means of communication are failing, the taxpayer needs another method to make his/her voice heard.

On that subject I see that the National Audit Office (NAO) reports that because of the problems with HMRC's new computer system, which combined National Insurance and PAYE payments for the first time, there is a backlog of overpaid taxes of £3BN going back two years.

HMRC are also owed around £1.4BN in unpaid tax.

These problems, according to the NAO, affect around 15 million people.

For good measure the NAO noted that the problems with the new system cost HMRC (or rather cost the taxpayer) an additional £33M.

It seems to me some bulk emailing (polite, not abusive), nothing else has worked, is just what HMRC needs to help focus its attention and to "unbung" its internal blockages.



Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

What is TAXWISE?

TAXWISE 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 Taxwise

Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

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"

Making Contact With HMRC II

My thanks to a loyal reader who sent me this list of email addresses of the "great and good" (please note the "..") in HMRC and others with a passing interest in HMRC issues.

Maybe a bulk mailing of all of these people is worth trying, if all else fails when trying to resolve a tax issue/make contact with HMRC?

As with any list, it is time sensitive.

Alan.carter@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

alison.kenyon@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

andrew.cullenaine@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

andrew.miller@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

andrew.pardoe@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

anne.shevas@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Avril.Clydesdale@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Barbara.e.Jones@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Basil.Rajamanie@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

bernadette.kenny@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Bob.Gaiger@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

bruce.stewart@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

carol.mellor@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

carole.henderson@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

ccp.disclosure@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

cherryne.mclennan@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

cherryne.mclennan@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Chris.Hopson@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

chris.tailby@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

christopher.allen@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

claire.gough@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

clare.hutchison@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Clare.Merrills@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

claudine.lashley@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Cliff.Hathaway@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

colin.kirk@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Cosima.Duggal@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

dave.hartnett@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

david.b.bailey@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

David.Hogg@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

david.lowe@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

david.richardson@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

david.thomas@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Dawn.Charles@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

dawn.page1@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

derek.tilstone@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Des.crawford@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

douglas.tweddle@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

duncan.calloway1@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Elaine.Graham@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Emma.l.bailey@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Francis.Taylor@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

gabs.makhlouf@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

geoff.i.webb@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

geoff.lloyd@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

george.jones@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

georgina.harper@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

gill.jayes@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

grant.smith@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Hasan.Mustafa@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Helen.Danson@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Helen.Jones@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

hema.rana@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

iain.mcneill@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

jan.marszewski@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

jane.frost@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

jane.hodge@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

jane.humphreys@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Jennie.Kendall@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

John.brandwood@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

john.loughney@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

john.owen@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

John.Spence@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

jon.allen@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

June.Davison@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

karen.culliford@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

katherine.fox@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Kathryn.Corcoran@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

kathy.barnes@hmce.gsi.gov.uk

kevin.robertshaw1@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

lisa.billard@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

malcolm.phelps@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

mark.fuchter@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

nic.perks@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

nicholas.clappen@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Nigel.Philipson1@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

peter.starling@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

robert.drummondmurray@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

uktradeinfo@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

val.hennelly@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

val.n.price@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

willie.hill@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

bev.morgan@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

chung-yin.chu@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

customs.confidential@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

darren.partridge@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

don.macarthur@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

duty.stamps@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Fiona.Cook@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

graham.walton@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Ian.Tucker@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

jane.farley@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

John.Connor@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

june.shearing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

kerrie.spendiff@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Kevin.rice@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

lee.duffy@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Lenny.Barry@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Lisa.Billard@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

lorna.mckinlay@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Maddy.Ratnett@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Maria.Finelli@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Mark.e.taylor@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

marketing.online@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Martin.McDonnell@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

martin.peach@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

mary.hay@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

mary.thompson@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

melanie.dawes@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

melanie.smith@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Melissa.McCumiskey@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

melvyn.neate@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

michael.hanson@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

michael.hughes@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Michelle.Potts@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Mike.Burrell@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

mike.eland@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Mike.Faulkner@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

mike.norgrove@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Mike.Shipp@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

mike.wells@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

mitchell.johnson@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

naomi.ferguson@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

ncts.helpdesk@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

nick.lodge@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

nicolas.williams@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Nigel.daniels@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

norman.gemmell@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

northregionepuoperations@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

open.days@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

pa.harris@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

pat.sorren@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

patrick.o'brien@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

paul.eaves@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

paul.franklin@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Paul.Gray@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

paul.king@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Paul.Mathews@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

penny.ciniewicz@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

powers.review-of-hmrc@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

rakesh.bhandari@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

ray.feeney@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

ray.payne@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

raymond.evans@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

richard.alderman@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

richard.mcguire@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Richard.Riley@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Ron.Barrie@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

roy.clark@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Ruth.bulteel@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

sandra.tudor@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

sarah.knight@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

sarah.moore2@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

sarah.walker2@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

sdsteam@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

sean.griffin@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Sheila.Good@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

simon.norris@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Simon.Oliver@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

simon.p.smith@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

simon.smith@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Sinead.Murray@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

stephen.banyard@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

steve.coad@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

steve.coomber@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

steve.lamey@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

stuart.hartlib@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

sue.davies2@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

suzanne.bartlett@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Tom.Waples@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

valerie.hagan@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

vic.evans@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

aidan.callan@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

alec.cross@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

alison.kenyon@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

andrew.cullenaine@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

andrew.hayward@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

andrew.mawson@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

anne.shipton@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

bob.decroos@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

bruno.giordan@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

caroline.halls1@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

chief.operations@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

colin.mcHardy@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Craig.richardson@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

customs.confidential@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Daniel.birkett@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

David.mcintyre@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

domains@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

duncan.calloway1@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

envirotax.bst@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

gemma.beardsley@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

geoff.i.webb@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Gill.valentine@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Gina.Ridley@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Graham.Taylor1@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Guy.Clarke@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

guy.westhead@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

hasmukh.dodia@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

hazel.challenger@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

hazel.kilpatrick@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

henry.hoad2@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

intenquiries@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

intenquiries@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

jobs.hmrc@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

John.J.Hughes@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Joy.Guthrie@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

julie.dufty@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

kathleen.silvestro@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Kevin.Golightly@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

lenny.barry@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

lisa.billard@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

maddy.ratnett@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Malcolm.Taylor@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

malcolm.white@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

margaret.allcock@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

mark.w.young@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

mary.thompson@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

matthew.rablen@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

McClory@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

melanie.smith@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Michelle.McNicholas@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

moneylaunderingpolicy@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

nicholas.clappen@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

nicholas.williams@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

northregionepuoperations@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

pa.harris@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

pat.bell@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

patrick.wilson@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

paul.myers@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Rhiannon.cross@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Richard.Crerar@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

richard.mcguire@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Richard.Riley@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

richard.tomsett@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Sean.Rabbett@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

sharon.mole@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

stephen.matthews@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Suzanne.west@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Sylvia.Cranston@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

turn@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Val.Campbell@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

aidan.callan@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Alan.Chambers@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

andrew.button@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

andrew.pardoe@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

bill.carr@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

cheryl.weeks@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

claire.gough@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Deepak.Singh@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

geoff.i.webb@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

iain.mcneill@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

james.repper@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

JCCC.Secretariat@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

john.owen@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

jon.allen@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

June.Davison@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

kevin.robertshaw1@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

malcolm.phelps@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Mike.Hanson@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

mike.pope@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

nic.perks@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Nigel.Philipson1@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

paul.oakes@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Richard.Summersgill@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Robin.Roberts@ezi.net

saorderline.ir@gtnet.gov.uk

Stuart.Cruickshank@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

tellmemore@brandspanking.co.uk

val.n.price@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

willie.hill@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

andrew.turek@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

Ashley.Craske@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

bvinfo@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

caroline.anerville@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

christopher.knuckey@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

ClientCare@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

Contact.foi@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

daniel.denman@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

David.Bennet@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

david.dunleavy@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

david.sims@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

debbie.davies@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

Diane.Furnari@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

Elisabeth.Jenkisnon@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

emma.black@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

foi@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

frances.nash@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

gareth.buttrill@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

groupwise.postmaster@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

hayley.devine@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

ilana.conn@justice.gsi.gov.uk

Jason.Duck@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

john.davis@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

Kathy.hosker@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

laurance.odea@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

lee.john-charles@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

Lesley.Frost@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

liam.gleeson@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

Lydia.Hatton@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

mary.esplin@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

McNicholas@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

Michelle.McNicholas@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

Narita.Jally@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

nic.ash@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

ODea@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

peter.bennett@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

peter.whitehurst@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

philip.kent@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

privateoffice@attorneygeneral.gsi.gov.uk

privateoffice@attorneygeneral.gsi.gov.uk

privateoffice@attorneygeneral.gsi.gov.uk

Rakes.Parmar@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

robert.aitken@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

rukshana.shah@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

Ruth.Dunn@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

simon.harker@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

thetreasurysolicitor@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

Tim.Heywood@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

tom.macgruer@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

Trudy.Morgan@attorneygeneral.gsi.gov.uk

Urmila.Patel@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

Victoria.vincent@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

victoria.warren@attorneygeneral.gsi.gov.uk

zoe.bryanston-cross@tsol.gsi.gov.uk

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

What is TAXWISE?

TAXWISE 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 Taxwise

Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

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"

A Nice Little Earner

Congratulations to HMRC's ex Chief Information Officer, Deepak Singh, who according to ifaonline was paid £149,500 by HMRC to work three months (June 2009 - September 2009) after his leaving date.

Singh's 3 year (£160K per annum) contract ended in June last year.

However, HMRC persuaded him to stay on for another 3 months in the guise of his consulting company Orwell Consulting.

In the private sector, when headcounts are being reduced, a well known "fiddle" is to sack someone then rehire them as a consultant (thus avoiding them appearing in the headcount figures).

Needless to say, I am sure that this was not the intention or the case here.

One rather nice little benefit for Singh of this arrangement, is that he is only liable for corporation tax of up to 28% on his earnings for these 3 months, compared with the higher-rate of income tax of 40%.

I have no problem with tax avoidance. However, HMRC claims that it disapproves of it (when dealing with non HMRC staff).

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

What is TAXWISE?

TAXWISE 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 Taxwise

Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

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"

Making Contact With HMRC

As loyal readers of this site know, one of the recurring themes/gripes that people have wrt HMRC is the difficulty of contacting staff who can actually help with a tax query/issue.

There is a postal backlog of at least 8 weeks, and the call centres are overloaded with calls.

Therefore I am grateful to one commentator, who posted this very timely piece of advice the other day about email addresses:

"The easiest way to get through to the jokers at the top is email them direct. The address is easy, first name, dot,surname @hmrc.gsi.gov.uk eg dave.hartnett@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk. leslie.strathie@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
simple."

Do remember though that they are unlikely to reply, unless you also openly copy your email to your MP or the media.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

What is TAXWISE?

TAXWISE 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 Taxwise

Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

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"

Physician Heal Thyself

It seems that those in the medical profession, whom HMRC suspect of under declaring their tax liabilities, are going to feel the full force of HMRC's "wrath" in the coming weeks/months.

Not that doctors have anything better to do!

The Chartered Institute of Taxation have issued this press release on the subject:

"The Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) has expressed surprise - and concern - at the statistics released today by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) about the outcome of their 'Tax Health Plan' initiative.

Only some 1,500 medical professionals are understood to have made disclosures under the arrangement.

The Tax Health Plan (THP) is the most recent stage in HMRC's efforts to encourage taxpayers with undeclared tax liabilities to come forward and get their affairs in order, the incentive being the offer of relatively modest penalties.

All of these initiatives have been backed by information that HMRC have obtained from their wider compliance activities and which give HMRC targets to pursue if people do not come forward. Gary Ashford, chairman of the CIOT's Management of Taxes committee, said:

"We understand that HMRC's data suggested there were some 30,000 medical professionals who might have undisclosed tax liabilities. If only 1,500 have come forward, that is a considerable surprise and suggests that either many professionals are not taking this seriously - or of course that HMRC have failed to get their message across properly.

"We have been told that HMRC will start using the full powers available to them for non-compliance in this area from 1 August. Any medical professional with undisclosed tax liabilities really should take advantage of this brief window to take advice and start getting their affairs in order. It's clear to us that HMRC are intending to come down hard on defaulters." "

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