Are Revenue delays reasonable?

Are Revenue delays reasonable?

Didn't find your answer?

I have a number of tax returns and other corresponsdance outstanding at the new Leicester & Northants RACS district. Apart from the fiasco of the code numbers they issued for retirement annuities, without any reference to taxpayers or their agents the new office became the district dealing with all their affairs.

Fed up with fending off clients wanting to know what was happening, I telephoned the RACS office (or rather their call centre) today. I was told that currently they are dealing with matters up to 1 June which means they are over 5 months in arrears. They seem to think this is normal service.

I also have an ongoing investigation case. With each communication I get they demand a reply within 30 days 'or else'. A couple times, through no fault of either me or my client, this has been exceeded, and on both occassions a Section 19A notice was issued within a few days.

To me this does not seem to be a level playing field. Do others have a similar experience with this office? If so, what can we do about it? Are the accountants higher up the greasy pole that a mere mortal as I and who serve on the Working Together panels taking this up with the Revenue?

Presumably if in my investigation case I receive a letter tomorrow but advise the Revenue that due to pressure of work I cannot reply before March 2008, this would be regarded as totally unacceptable. Why? Under what authority can they impose a 30 day limit for dealing with corrrespondence with one hand whilst taking over 5 months to deal with correspondence on the other?

Anon

Replies (7)

Please login or register to join the discussion.

avatar
By Markrich17
19th Oct 2007 10:32

Not really !!
Hello anon

Like you I have had problems with delays in processing clients' returns in Leicester. Their record for me is over six months but they are up to over 5 months with one at the moment with no processing to date.

I haven't had your enquiry problems with Leicester (yet !) but feel the same about s19a notices elsewhere.

I think the lack of response to your comment explains why nothing ever changes !!! Too many of us just roll over and accept it and I can't even start to comment for my Institute.

ATB

Thanks (0)
avatar
By refs8
19th Oct 2007 12:46

Complain to your MP
I had the same problem!

Spoke with a contact in the local office her advice contact your "MP" As your duty is to your client I would do that if it is serious enough a problem. Previous experience tells me it does work!

Good luck

Thanks (0)
avatar
By User deleted
19th Oct 2007 13:26

They should take some of their own medicine
Perhaps if they had a £100 penalty if the letter was not replied to in 1 month, increasing by £100 for each month they didn't deal with it, things might be different.

Thanks (0)
avatar
By User deleted
19th Oct 2007 13:29

See previous Dave Hartnett question
See the recent Dave Hartnett question I posted this week.

At the moment HMRC are a nightmare to deal with (there are very few exceptions) but the lack of response to correspondence is beyond a joke now. The system simply will not work if HMRC provide such a consistently appalling service to professional agents and their 'customers'. I dispair.

Sadly, the only way to make anyone in authority at HMRC see what's going on at the 'coal face' is to flood HMRC head office with complaints highlighting the complete lack of any sort of 'customer service'.

Thanks (0)
avatar
By AnonymousUser
20th Oct 2007 13:27

Some offices do provide good service
I do sympathise with "customers", as they like to call us, experiencing the enormously long waits which seem so common. However, in the last three months I have experienced some good service from HMRC offices. For example, a CG34 was acknowledged within a week and the valuation agreed within 9 weeks (which includes the 3 weeks it took us to obtain some additional information). A repayment for an expat who had no NI number but had had PAYE deducted made in just over three weeks from the date the P85 was submitted.

If it is possible in some offices, why not use that good practice and those working arrangements elsewhere?

My key complaint and frustration is the inability we have to follow up correspondence - the Call Centres cannot say whether correspondence has been received or not and there seems to be no way to expedite matters which are urgent.

Thanks (0)
avatar
By User deleted
24th Oct 2007 20:23

Thanks for comments
Thanks for your comments. I agree with Mark - why don't the professional organisations and those on Workjing Together take this up. Seems to me like a case of not wanting to rock the boat. As Angela says some districts are efficient but no doubt the powers that be will soon put a stop to that!

I also saw the Dave Hartnett article. On HMRC service levels he says: '(The problems) are certainly not as dramatic as some tax advisers make them out to be'. That's allright then!!! Problem solved. On modernisation he then says we should complain vigarously when we need to but adds that in modernising some things will break en route and ways of doing some things will change. Or, to put it another way - complain as much as you like but we will continue to do as we wish without regard to you.

I note with interest that he is one of nine on the HMRC board and that he joined the Inland Revenue ion 1976. After 31 years we can hardly expect him to know what is going on! To return to my original subject, I wonder if he knows that the RACS office exists.

I will take up other suggestions and write to him and my MP to see what comments I get back from them.

Thanks (0)
avatar
By CrowtherP
26th Oct 2007 15:54

Is anyone prepared to help this move on?
Is anyone prepared to invest any time, in this?

Maybe if we all: -

1. Wrote to HMRC Office, with a standard complaint letter, that we all agreed upon.
2. Copied the Complaint letter to the Member of Parliament for your business.
3. Logged the problem in a Word File, so that any HMRC reply could be quickly referred to.

then we might get some action.

Is anyone prepared to start the process with a standard complain letter document? We could all appprove it, exchange e-mails, and form a protest group. I am at peter@ haggards.co.uk We could copy in our Institutes. I am a CTA. How about it??

Thanks (0)