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Mark McLaughlin updates on the caring side of HM Revenue & Customs... In my editorial last week, I told the true story of a recent visit to my home by a HMRC officer. HMRC was seeking to levy distraint on my goods and assets for an 'outstanding' PAYE liability for month 4 ending 5 August 2011, even though I am not a director or major shareholder of the company to which the liability relates, and despite the fact that my home is not a place of business for the company. In addition, the PAYE amount in question had already been paid to HMRC. A few days ago, I received an email from someone within HMRC, who had read my editorial. He was very sorry for any distress that my wife and I had been caused by the HMRC officer's visit, and very kindly offered to ask his colleagues in HMRC's debt management and banking directorate to see what could be done to help resolve the matter. I rang the individual and explained that I had since ensured that my home address had been removed from HMRC's records for the company. He again apologised, but I replied that he had absolutely nothing to apologise for, as it wasn't his fault. The reason for mentioning this is that the person wasn't really contacting me from HMRC in any official capacity. He was just a kind, concerned individual offering to help. I suspect that there are many more like him within HMRC who work at the 'coalface' dealing with taxpayers on a daily basis, who are genuinely concerned about some of HMRC's procedures and also its service standards. I would like to think that HMRC's policymakers listen to staff at grassroots level and are prepared to learn from everyday experience about policies and service standards which could be improved. Perhaps someone from within HMRC can confirm that they do actually listen? It is reassuring to know that there are individuals within HMRC like the gentleman who contacted me, who are genuinely concerned about taxpayers who are inappropriately treated by HMRC. It would be even more reassuring to see more evidence of this concern at senior and policy level.
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About The Author  Mark McLaughlin is TaxationWeb's Co-Founder, Director and Technical Editor. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation and a member of the Association of Taxation Technicians and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. He lectures on tax subjects, is co-author of Tottel's IHT Annual and Ray & McLaughlin's IHT Planning, and Editor of Tottel's Tax Planning and Annual series. Mark's work has also been published in Taxation, Tax Adviser, Tolley's Practical Tax, Tax Journal and Simon's Weekly Tax Intelligence. Since January 1998, Mark has been a consultant in his own tax practice, Mark McLaughlin Associates, which provides tax consultancy and support services to professional firms. He publishes a regular 'Tax Update' e-Newsletter for clients and other professional firms. To receive future copies, contact Mark via his website. |
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Article Added Sunday, 09 October 2011 | 486 Hits |
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