HMRC-is it time to call the Army in?

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A note to Rishi about Jim Harra and HMRC:

A government department that claims to:

- deal with with 70 + % of post within 15 working days and yet takes 12 months plus to issue refunds, 6 months plus to process tax returns and 6 months plus to answer post.
Don't vote for him

- deal with taxpayers fairly, accepts 3% of penalty appeals in one quarter, 99% in another and ignores the evidence when confronted.
Don't vote for him

- have a complaints department....if it did exist I would complain about it as my calls are ignored repeatedly
Don't vote for him

-provide services that are designed around what you need to do, and are accessible, easy and quick to use, minimising the cost to you. It then announced closures of phone lines and since that decision was reversed phone wait times have nearly doubled (based on 40 minute average wait time announcements....I just checked for yesterday's wait time and HMRC seems to have got rid of that recorded part of the message..clearly the times were damaging as pointed out on this thread).
Don't vote for him

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Called HMRC this morning and the average wait time announcement (30 minutes yesterday) was back. Still longer than last year despite all the extra funding.

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A knighthood or damehood can be presented for all types of different achievement, but usually the person nominated will have made a major contribution to the country at a national or international level; their work and achievements will be viewed as an inspiration to others; and they may have influenced their peers, ...

Sir Jim Harra

Major contribution = HMRC providing the poorest 'customer' service (by a country mile) in the last 40 years. Well done Jim!

[bd6759]

Regretfully it’s a perk of the job. All permanent secretaries get knighted. As bad as Jim is, he’s not as bad as Lin Homer was, who was allowed to stay around long enough to get damehood.

The only head honcho not to get knighted in my memory was Paul Gray. The last honourable chairman who took responsibility and resigned over the lost child benefit data. None of his successors have resigned over catastrophic failures.

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I think the three copies of the same letter story all lost by HMRC (even though I sent the third letter recorded delivery) was Lin's era, but on a customer service level (at the coal face) for me she was corden bleu compared to Jim's current sloppy gravy mess offering.

Having had a guts full, I've discovered the PWC pension the firm put in place for its employees has had zero uplift in 5 of the last 8 years even though Partners have received 6 figure bonuses to accompany their 7 figure pay in that period.

Perhaps a topic for a new echo chamber

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The madness of King Charles (or his advisers) to give Jim a Knighthood. It is like giving Dr Beeching a gong for services to the railways.

Zero progress on any of the long overdue responses I chased last month. Service has ceased to exist.

Somebody please ask Jim the question...why are people waiting 6-12 months and longer for responses when 70+ per cent of post is dealt with within 15 working days. He will be unable to answer.

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No matter how ludicrous decisions are it is important to keep a sense of humour:

By euanjohn
17th Jun 2024 08:44
The only good thing about this disgrace is that HMRC will probably take its usual 6 months plus to reply to the invitation to attend Buck House so Harra will miss the ceremony

Perhaps King Charles could whisper my question to Sir Jim as he taps him on the shoulder. I'm sure his straight talking sister Anne would love to stand in if required.

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And if any PWC partners are in the line for a gong perhaps Charles/Anne can ask them whether they are content that their pensioners have had zero rises in their pensions in 5 of the last 8 years (a disgrace).

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By Open all hours
15th Jun 2024 05:11
This says everything about our country and the way abject failure is rewarded.
This spits in the face of our clients.
It was as predictable as it is sickening.

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Only in this country could this be a final score:

Sir Jim Harra 1 Bobby Moore 0

One was a world beater, the other's deputy thinks HMRC is world class .