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Along with other voluntary and community sector organisations, LITRG has long voiced concern that the current system for processing security and authorisation is antiquated and cumbersome. It is unfair that those who help the disadvantaged should be faced with onerous form filling, confusing security passwords and long delays. Most recently, earlier this year LITRG submitted a response to an HMRC Consultation concerned with finding new approaches to support customers in need of extra help. The response stressed the need for greater flexibility for vulnerable taxpayers to enable representation by friends and family, on whom they may be entirely dependent to manage their tax affairs, by producing a more effective streamlined model.

 

LITRG’s view is that while HMRC is rightly concerned to respect taxpayer confidentiality, those who volunteer to help other taxpayers who are friends or relatives of theirs should be aided by a simple and effective system for doing so. It must also be recognised that many taxpayers are simply unable to afford a professional service to manage their tax affairs. It is encouraging  that these new provisions will allow those informal representatives to speak to an adviser and request written details of the taxpayer’s record, duplicate tax returns, copies of letters and forms and book a home visit [the usual details will be required at the start of the call (taxpayer name, address, national insurance number) and then in addition the representative must declare their own name and the relationship to the taxpayer they are helping]. This will not only reduce the administrative burden on HMRC and taxpayers but will be especially comforting to those who may not speak English as their first language, are suffering a disability, have a mental health issue, are recently bereaved, or simply struggle to understand their tax duties.

 

The concern remains, however, that copy and duplicate paper outputs requested will still be delivered to the taxpayer themselves rather than their representative; a representative can only receive taxpayer copies if the proper authority is granted and a form 64/8 has been completed. Also important to note is that this service will only be available, initially, for income tax related queries.

 

Ultimately, this will help to bridge the gap for those who may have sought help previously from HMRC Enquiry Centres, where that service may now be closed. HMRC will monitor how successful the new service is for income tax, and later decide whether to extend it to queries on Tax Credits, Child Benefit and National Insurance.

 

While LITRG very much welcomes this initial step, the group hopes it will not stop there, and that HMRC will learn from other departments, such as the DWP, where deemed consent already works well.

 

LITRG’s full response 

Extra help for HMRC customers