Hanging On The Telephone

The National Audit Office (NAO) report that up to 44 million calls to HMRC went unanswered in the year 2008-09.

Out of the 103M calls made to HMRC's directorate handling telephone enquiries (an increase of 22% compared to the previous year), 57% (58M) were answered (down from 71% in the previous year).

The National Audit Office stated:

"In terms of handling telephone enquiries, the Department is not currently achieving value for money, as it recognises.".

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"

Chippies Take a Battering

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) have warned HMRC that the campaign aimed at dealing with non-compliance in the medical profession is not treating taxpayers consistently.

Doctors' unpaid tax will be collected, as well as interest and a fixed 10% penalty.

However, HMRC are also running a campaign aimed at fish and chip shops where there are no restrictions on the penalties.

Why treat chippies differently from doctors?

Bob Crawford, Convener of the ICAS Tax Committee, said:

"It appears that our chippies are taking a battering compared to our doctors, and there's no clear reason why.

We support HMRC's continuing efforts to tackle non-compliance, but for any campaign to gain acceptance, the criteria for penalties should be consistently applied.

We question why doctors will be dealt with by a 10% fixed penalty, whilst fish and chip shops could be on the hook for a far higher penalty, for similar amounts of unpaid tax."

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"

The Grim RIPA

It would appear that HMRC have jumped on the bandwagon of our "beloved" and "respected" local councils, they have started to use the Regulation of Investigative Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) to spy on suspected tax evaders.

RIPA was, in theory, passed to allow counter terrorism agencies to monitor terrorist suspects and serious criminal activity. However, local councils have been using it for all manner of non terrorist activity (eg monitoring suspect dog fouling owners).

HMRC have now got in on the act and, according to a Parliamentary answer, have been granted the right to use RIPA 5,492 times in 2009.

According to the Telegraph, this is an 80% increase in four years.

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"

Office Closures Official Announcement

Here is a copy of the official announcement by Lesley Strathie (CEO of HMRC) re the office closures. The text was retyped and sent to me by a loyal reader.

As at the time of writing, I still can't find it on the HMRC site.

"Today, we have informed our people in around 130 of our buildings that we plan to stopp all business activity, apart from any enquiry centre presence, in their office in 2010/11

These changes are part of our ongoing Workforce Change programme of rationalising our estate and enable us to introduce more efficient ways of working. The decision to withdraw from these locations was previously announced in our regional review programme.

Enquiry Centre service will continue in area where they are cuurently provided.

We have started to hold discussions with those people directly affected by these decision but I want to take this opportunity to keep evryone else informed about what is happening.

Currently , there are around 3.150 HMRC people working in 130 building. Approximately 1.450 people will move to a new location, or where appropriate work in the Enquiry Centre. This will happen as soon as possible after january 13.

The remaining 1,700 staff will be declared surplus and will be given the oppotunity, where approriate, to move to another HMRC office where vacancies exist. They will also be eligble to apply for voluntary redundancy on compulsory terms. These are the best available under the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

We are committed to doing everything we can to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible and for those who wish to continue their Civil Service careers, we will work hard to redeploy people both within HMRC as well as other government depts and agencies.

This committment is contained in the cabinets Office;s 'protocol for Handling Surplus Staff situations' as well as our own agreement with Departmental Trade Unions.

The reality is that we have to fundamentally reassess the way we deliver services to our customers. That means a reduced workforce concentrated in fewer locations.

These difficult decisions have not been taken lightly and are no reflection on the excellent work undertaken by people in the affected location. I appreciate that the length of the Regional Review Programmer has created a period of uncertainty and that is why we have now confimed the final position of these offices, enabling those affected to make informed decisions about their future.

We will do all we can to support colleagues through this diffcult process. That means we must be prepared to help colleagues move to new areas of work where vacancies arise. Thank you in anticiaption of your support."

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"

Office Closures

The Public and Commercial Services Union state that HMRC have confirmed today that 130 offices will be closed.

I cannot find the confirmation on the HMRC site. Please can someone send me the link?

Thanks.

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"

Special Announcement Updated

I am advised that HMRC is announcing the future of 130 offices tomorrow (Wednesday). The meetings will be held in 130 offices between 10-12.

The meetings are deemed important enough for at least one enquiry centre to be closed for two hours, whilst the announcements are being made.

Additionally, I am advised that HMRC senior management are being brought in to handle questions afterwards.

Please can someone provide me with more details about this?

Thanks.

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"