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Where Taxpayers and Advisers Meet
Heavy Handed HMRC - An Update
09/10/2011, by Mark McLaughlin CTA (Fellow) ATT TEP, Tax Articles - General
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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.

About The Author

Mark McLaughlin is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, a Fellow of the Association of Taxation Technicians, and a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. From January 1998 until December 2018, Mark was a consultant in his own tax practice, Mark McLaughlin Associates, which provided tax consultancy and support services to professional firms throughout the UK.

He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation’s Capital Gains Tax & Investment Income and Succession Taxes Sub-Committees.

Mark is editor and a co-author of HMRC Investigations Handbook (Bloomsbury Professional).

Mark is Chief Contributor to McLaughlin’s Tax Case Review, a monthly journal published by Tax Insider.

Mark is the Editor of the Core Tax Annuals (Bloomsbury Professional), and is a co-author of the ‘Inheritance Tax’ Annuals (Bloomsbury Professional).

Mark is Editor and a co-author of ‘Tax Planning’ (Bloomsbury Professional).

He is a co-author of ‘Ray & McLaughlin’s Practical IHT Planning’ (Bloomsbury Professional)

Mark is a Consultant Editor with Bloomsbury Professional, and co-author of ‘Incorporating and Disincorporating a Business’.

Mark has also written numerous articles for professional publications, including ‘Taxation’, ‘Tax Adviser’, ‘Tolley’s Practical Tax Newsletter’ and ‘Tax Journal’.

Mark is a Director of Tax Insider, and Editor of Tax Insider, Property Tax Insider and Business Tax Insider, which are monthly publications aimed at providing tax tips and tax saving ideas for taxpayers and professional advisers. He is also Editor of Tax Insider Professional, a monthly publication for professional practitioners.

Mark is also a tax lecturer, and has featured in online tax lectures for Tolley Seminars Online.

Mark co-founded TaxationWeb (www.taxationweb.co.uk) in 2002.

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