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HMRC to develop a new Taxpayers' Charter

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10th Jan 2008
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HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has published a summary of responses to last year's consultation on Taxpayers' Safeguards, and has announced that it will begin the process of working with interested parties on the development of a Taxpayers' Charter, which will set out both taxpayer rights and responsibilities in a single accessible document.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Jane Kennedy, said:
"The Government is committed to ensuring that the tax system is useable and accessible and a Taxpayers' Charter will provide a good reference point for taxpayers.”

Dave Hartnett, HMRC Acting Chairman, said:
"Making sure that taxpayers' rights are properly protected, whilst providing HMRC with the powers needed to ensure that today's tax system is properly administered, are key HMRC commitments. This is what the Review of Powers consultation, together with the Taxpayers' Charter, are about and I urge all interested parties to help us get that balance right by participating fully in the consultation."

Rob Ellerby, CIOT President, said: "The CIOT has long argued that a Taxpayers' Charter is necessary in the UK. With the ongoing wide-ranging review and development of HMRC's powers, a charter which collates safeguards is a key balance in the tax system. Today's announcement is an important and welcome acknowledgment of what we have been campaigning for."

Links:
Safeguards for Taxpayers: Summary of Responses
This document summarises the responses the Government received to its consultation document on Safeguards for Taxpayers published on 17 May 2007.

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By Accounting WEB
17th Jan 2008 10:45

Little or no effect
Surely any Charter would be merely window dressing or at best adhered to in certain circumstances and not in others.

Take Enquiries as an example:

We know the Revenue Inspectors have targets. Would I be right in assuming that constantly reaching those targets will benefit the Inspector personally?

According to a recent circular from HMRC most cases end in more tax being due, whether a settlement is acceptance of guilt or just financially prudent, a client is still 'Negligent' and open to penalties.

A recent NAO report (Targeting Fraud against the Inland Revenue) showed the amount the Revenue feel is being under paid by operators within the 'black economy'. Part of this money is to be collected through enquiries.

As our clients are obviously fraudulent and or negligent operators within the 'black economy' surely this Charter is like a Health and Safety notice on the wall of an Execution Chamber.

Cassius:
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings."
Julius Caesar (I, ii, 140-141)

Jon Lunn
http://thetaxenquiry.blogspot.com/

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Richard Murphy
By Richard Murphy
10th Jan 2008 18:30

We have already written one....
The Tax Justice Network has already written such a Code

It can be found here http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2008/01/10/taxpayers-charter-make-it-a-code-of-conduct/

There is a link there to the full supporting arguments in favour of the approach adopted

Richard Murphy

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By neileg
11th Jan 2008 10:03

Nice to see
I welcome the return of 'Taxpayer' instead of 'customer'. I think it's much more honest.

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By User deleted
10th Jan 2008 20:05

The old Charter still lives?
I have an idea that the old Taxpayers Charter has never actually been formally withdrawn, or did I miss something?

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By Sherlock
10th Jan 2008 17:00

The Missing Years
Perhaps the Government and HMRC could explain why we had no Taxpayer's Charter for a number of years?

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