Save content
Have you found this content useful? Use the button above to save it to your profile.
AIA

Working with Tax Agents: Tax Advice Network calls for TARBY

by
10th Aug 2009
Save content
Have you found this content useful? Use the button above to save it to your profile.

The Tax Advice Network has called for a new tax agent review body (TARBY) to be set up to review HMRC reports about tax agents whose performance may be unacceptable.

 “We do not agree with the implicit assumption in the consultation document that qualified tax agents should be treated differently to unqualified tax agents”, said Mark Lee, chairman of the Tax Advice Network.

“We don’t want a multi-tiered system, which is what would follow if HMRC made reports to each of the 22 professional bodies referenced in the consultation document. Therefore, the only realistic solution would be to establish a TARBY so that all tax agents are equally subject to the same reports and review procedures whether or not they are members of any of the professional bodies”.

The Tax Advice Network has issued a 14 page response to the consultation document detailing its recommendations and requests.

Highlights:

  • HMRC should adopt a more balanced approach and focus equally on situations where its own performance falls below acceptable standards.
  • Lessons should be learnt from the lost CDs saga and HMRC must recognise that tax agents who make mistakes are not always a continuous risk.
  • A new code of practice for tax agents shouldn’t be created, as seven of the professional bodies already collaborate to produce a guide to professional conduct for taxation.
  • HMRC should not attempt to introduce a new registration system for tax agents.
  • The procedure should be simplified for situations where taxpayers need to recover wasted costs when HMRC procedures and mistakes lead to increased fees from their tax agents.
  • In cases where there is sufficient evidence of non compliance, HMRC should have the power (subject to appeal) to deny tax agents the facility to act on behalf of taxpayers.

To download the full Tax Advice Network response, click here.

Tags:

Replies (2)

Please login or register to join the discussion.

avatar
By User deleted
18th Aug 2009 00:05

Tax Agents
We can not forget:

- the taxpayer is the ultimate responsible of the information provided in the tax return.
- an agent could be a family member or a friend filing on behalf of the taxpayer for many different reasons (illness, convenience, knowledge, etc.)
- some good tax agents are very aggressive in their approach to tax in order to mitigate the tax liability, that means the tax return is wrong?
- the tax return is only the final stage of a full year operation; in that year the taxpayer may or may have not looked for tax advice and may have completed the tax return themselves by following the advice given.
- the tax return may be right, but the tax advice received during the year may have been inappropriate and may have lead to mistakes and entries into the tax return which are not supported by the correct papers and documents.

Also the quality of the work of some tax agents depend on the type of clients they are dealing with, therefore, they may become more careless.

Thanks (0)
avatar
By david5541
09th Sep 2009 13:01

tax agents rights

tax agents are subject to a walk over so often by hmrc staff who 9 times out of ten fail to even apologise or promise a time by which documents will be processed.

 

secondly hmrc staff are making calls direct to clients and clients are assuming they get accurate and good information direct from hmrc contact centre staff who dont even have the file in front of them and in some cases may already have the documents.

 

alot of the agent enquiry lines have now been passed staight to contact centre staff rather than specialist officers.

 

 

Thanks (0)