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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)
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
Nice to see
I welcome the return of 'Taxpayer' instead of 'customer'. I think it's much more honest.
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I have an idea that the old Taxpayers Charter has never actually been formally withdrawn, or did I miss something?
The Missing Years
Perhaps the Government and HMRC could explain why we had no Taxpayer's Charter for a number of years?