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Time to tell HMRC what we really think

27th Jun 2014
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AccountingWEB contributor Nick Huber wasn't sure what to think when he got an email asking about his perceptions of HMRC - for a minute or two, at least...

I got an email from HMRC a few weeks ago. 

"As someone who takes a close interest in what we do, we would like to get your views on your experience and perceptions of HMRC, so that we can better understand the issues of importance to you and improve how we communicate with you," wrote Stephen Hardwick, HMRC's director of corporate communications.

HMRC does this "stakeholder" survey each year but it's not a big one of public opinion.  It questions about 150 politicians, journalists, businesses and "corporate stakeholders" (confusingly these are people in the voluntary and community sectors).

The 2013 survey wanted to "understand perceptions of HMRC" (how is it performing, performance compared to previous year) and how HMRC can communicate better with its "stakeholders".

It was nice to be asked but I didn't take part in the survey for various reasons. The main one being I think it's a waste of time.

The survey sample is small and the questions too narrow.

Also, the survey looks like an attempt to get some decent PR; or "PR from the Politburo era," as tax campaigner Richard Murphy put it.

The 2013 survey found that "overall ... most stakeholders were favourable towards HMRC."

For all the caveats, I'm still happy to offer HMRC some constructive feedback, though. 

Not the usual whinge, but an acknowledgement of what HMRC is doing well, what it's doing badly and how it can do better.

Here are some suggestions:

  • HMRC should re-think plans to cut thousands more jobs. You don't have to be a fan of the Public and Commercial Services union to agree that fewer tax inspectors may make it harder to counter devious types of tax avoidance and evasion and worsen the service for taxpayers. Calculate the amount of tax that could be collected if the people aren't sacked.
  • Admit when you've made a mistake - eg when you've sent millions of people the wrong tax codes. Mistakes happen but own up quickly and explain how you'll fix the problem in plain English.
  • Acknowledge complaints and respond promptly. Don't always assume taxpayers/tax advsers are always wrong. 
  • Try to improve your staff training and improve staff morale, which is lousy. 

Perhaps other AccountingWEB subscribers could help compile more useful feedback for HMRC? The "post a comment" is just below.

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