In her latest Annual Report, the Adjudicator took HMRC to task over its treatment of vulnerable taxpayers - and there are forecasts of trouble ahead...

Judy Clements OBE is the Adjudicator - her office is in many respects 'the last resort' for taxpayers who are dissatisfied with their treatment by HMRC. Within the last few days, her office has released its Annual Report for 2009-10 and in it she voiced her concerns that there had been a growth in cases where HMRC's decisions had adversely affected vulnerable groups of people, for example pensioners facing unexpected tax bills.

Pages 18 and 19 of the report mention cases which are now very much in the public eye: tax underpayments because of incorrect or inappropriate PAYE tax codes. Given recent developments in this area, it might be reasonable to expect the Adjudicator will have quite a bit more to say on tax underpayments and concessions, in her next annual report.

Taxpayers currently in a similar situation may draw some comfort from the findings in her latest report in the interim: it is worth noting that the Adjudicator has taken a pro-taxpayer position in the cases in the report.

Article Added Monday, 27 September 2010 | 914 Hits

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