The cheque's in the post

Posted by The Practitioner on Mon, 15/08/2011 - 20:21 in Blogs 1262 1 comment | report

We are all aware that tax offices across the country have a secret store room of unopened post bags, letters that go unopened - let alone unanswered for weeks.

Get round the backlog, I thought, phone them to see if we can get the CIS refund moving that I mentioned in my last diary entry.

Apparently it makes no difference. Just as I was reaching for the phone I received a letter from said tax office, dated 12th July so it has taken a month to get to me, referring to my phone call on 3rd May, and advising that the CIS refund would be issued to my client "shortly". Is that shortly after 12th July, or shortly after they evidently posted it around 10th August?

Anyway, I was able to give my client the good news. He thinks HMRC are guilty of what he calls "terminological inexactitude". Does he mean disingenuous? Is it a bare-faced lie, or are they just incompetent? Either way, as of today that repayment still hasn't arrived!!

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Agent Account Managers

jmwaa | Tue, 16/08/2011 - 10:15 | Permalink

Have you tried using the new Agent Account Manager service? HMRC says they can 'resolve ongoing problems more quickly' using 'the Agents' Issue Resolution Service' .

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/agents/aam.htm

We have used them once and amazingly a problem that had been with HMRC for weeks was sorted out almost immediately. You have to have raised the query first in the usual way - as you clearly have - and allowed a reasonable time for it to be sorted, but it sounds as if this might be something to take up with them?

Good luck and please let us know how you get on if you decide to try it.

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