HMRC chief executive Linda Homer has been named Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath (DCB), one of the highest accolades in the Queen’s New Year’s honours list.
Criticism of Homer’s honour was swift, following a year in which she apologised for HMRC’s “unacceptably poor” service in front of the Commons Treasury committee. She also faced criticism from the Public Accounts Committee, which accused HMRC of “failing UK taxpayers”.
As the department relies more heavily on technology to cure its problems, questions remain about how well it is actually managing those processes.
Some AccountingWEB members fumed about Homer’s honour on Any Answers. The innkeeper wrote: “What would she have got if the organisation was fit for purpose?”
Time for a change was equally dubious: “Seems to me that everything she's touched hasn’t enjoyed the best of success in previous roles.”
HMRC critic Ken Frost wrote on his blog: “This surely is an insult to every member of staff of HMRC and every taxpayer; ie it is an insult to the entire country.”
Under Homer’s leadership during the past year, HMRC boasted of lowering the tax gap, collecting more tax and ushering in digital services to cut costs and improve the tax system. A HMRC spokesperson commented: “Since joining in January 2012, Lin Homer has led HMRC to deliver more and at a lower cost to taxpayers than ever before. Last year alone we brought in record breaking revenues of more than £517bn and we increased compliance yields to £26.6bn, up by 43% since 2011-12 - all achieved through tougher enforcement and record prosecutions of tax cheats.
“All of this was delivered at the same time as improving our customer service and continuing to roll-out a transformation programme that will see us reduce our estate costs by £100m per year by 2025”.
Homer’s appointment to the Order of Bath included an interesting twist in the honours list, which described her as “Lately chief executive, HM Revenue and Customs”. The “lately” prompted several commentators to speculate whether she has left her HMRC position. An HMRC spokesperson has since denied the commentators assumptions, and told us that Homer remains in her position as HMRC chief exec.
Alongside their CEO, a number of HMRC officials were also recognised for their services to the taxpayer:
- Raj Nayyar, policy adviser, London - OBE for services to tax policy
- Kevin Andrew Courtie, customer relationship manager - OBE for services to prevent tax evasion and to the Scottish fishing industry
- Dorothy Brown, director for personal tax operations - OBE for services to taxpayers
- Roger Atkinson, assistant director counter-avoidance - OBE for services to taxpayers
- Jane McClelland, administrative officer - MBE for services to taxpayers and voluntary service to cancer awareness
- Satpal Singh Nahl, officer, Bradford group - OBE for services to taxpayers and public administration
- Gerard Cleray, administrative officer personal tax operations - Medallist of the Order of the British Empire for services to taxpayers and voluntary services to Thalidomide Awareness.
A handful of representatives from the accounting, tax and finance profession were also bestowed awards. CIMA CEO Charles Tilley gained an OBE for his services to the economy. Tilley currently serves as the chief executive of CIMA, having joined the professional body in 2001.
Prior to joining CIMA, Tilley spent 14 years working for KPMG where he was made a partner. As well as his CIMA duties, Tilley also chairs the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) professional accountants in business committee. He also serves on the council of Accounting for Sustainability.
Helen Dickinson, another former KPMG partner, was awarded an OBE for services to the retail industry. Dickinson has been Chief Executive of the BRC since January 2013, following a career as Head of Retail at KPMG. In this position, Dickinson led and developed KPMG’s retail practices in the UK.
In the area of financial services, Graham John Beale, the chief executive officer of Nationwide Building Society was given a CBE for services to the sector. BBC financial pundit David Buik was awarded an MBE.
Do you agree with Homer’s damehood? Tell us what you think about her achievements.The professional bodies will let us know in the coming days of more accountants who have achieved New Year gongs. If you know of any accountants recognised on the list, please let us know by commenting below.
Replies (48)
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A Pantomime Dame..
.. presumably
Oh no she isn't!
Oh yes she is.
D'oh!
Linda Homer
How "unacceptably poor service" warrants anything, let alone a New Year's honour is ridiculous.
Disgraceful
She gets an honour because it's her turn.
Nothing to do with services she's provided.
"Failing taxpayers & unacceptably poor service"?
Nice work if you can get it.
The "lately" bit sounds like she is on the move. KPMG/PWC watch out!
Dame Homer of Arselick
Close call whether this one is more disgusting or Lynton Crosbie's. The whole thing should be scrapped, honours like these just smear the whole system in something which is brown but shall remain nameless.
It devalues the awards for everyone
There are some deserving recipients, but Lin Homer isn't one of them.
Here's a tip for anyone aiming for a gong ... lick some boots (that's the polite version) and take the flak for politicians mistakes. The politicians will make sure you are well rewarded.
If
she fell into a bucket of the proverbial she'd come up smelling of roses.
But it's not her fault. It's the selection committees that firstly appointed her head of the Borders Control Agency (after overseeing an election fraud in Birmingham) and secondly HMRC after failing to even slightly improve the asylum seeker application numbers.
Don't forget...
The East Coast rail project when she lost the taxpayer £100m. And that was back when £100m was a lot of money!
House Elf
As she acts like a house elf it is proper that she has been made a Dobby.
Dobby
But Dobby wasn't a house elf (at least not after HP # 1). If you read the J K Rowling books, you'll find he was very proud to call himself a free elf.
Honours system - what a joke
This woman should be fired, not honoured.
I must be missing something...
Surely for somebody to be so good at their job that they're worthy of a gong you'd think they would have made a noticeable difference. The only difference I've seen is the increase in the amount of work that HMRC are fobbing off to the taxpayer and/or accountants. Honours should be given to people who have done an exceptional job, not a crap one. Joke.
I'm still left dumbfounded
about what she might have succeeded at! Other than making a complete b**s of everything she's touched.
Honours are surely for people who've gone beyond the call? You know, the Judy Dench's, the Helen Mirren's. In other words, individuals, who are capable and provide something special.
Damehood and gold plated (publicly funded) pension schemes. I'm surprised Yentob didn't get one as well.
Hold on a minute everybody we might be next!!!
Failure
If I fail to file all my clients tax returns by 31 January will I get a gong and huge pension for misservices rendered to the taxpaying public?
Bonkers
Firstly, that is an honor reserved for people in Military service for heaven sake.
Secondly, what has she actually achieved?
Freaking Bonkers country this.
American spelling in BRITISH comments...
...in the United Kingdom, we spell it HONOUR. Sadly there is too much Americanisation of our beautiful language, so we don't have to suffer this import.
Two out of three ain't bad
1. Respectfully, that honoUr is for civilians too and has been since 1917, I believe.
2. Search me.
3. Only the system.
CIMA's CEO Charles Tilley responds to his OBE recognition
While Dame Homer has attracted the most attention following the New Year’s honours announcement, accountants and finance professionals also received recognition. CIMA has released a statement congratulating CEO Charles Tilley on his OBE achievement.
Tilley said: “This is not something I expected – but it is hugely welcome. As hard as I have worked over the past fourteen years, the victories I have been proud of – most notably the increasing recognition of the value of management accounting, the growth of integrated reporting and the huge success of CIMA’s joint venture – have all been achieved with the help of colleagues in CIMA together with our members and students, and those we work with across the world.
“Management accounting has a vital role to build better businesses trusted by society – this honour is welcome recognition of the considerable progress we have made, on which we at CIMA will now build on for the future.”
Deserving people?
[quote=Richard Hattersley]
While Dame Homer has attracted the most attention following the New Year’s honours announcement, accountants and finance professionals also received recognition. CIMA has released a statement congratulating CEO Charles Tilley on his OBE achievement.
Tilley said: “This is not something I expected – but it is hugely welcome. As hard as I have worked over the past fourteen years, the victories I have been proud of – most notably the increasing recognition of the value of management accounting, the growth of integrated reporting and the huge success of CIMA’s joint venture – have all been achieved with the help of colleagues in CIMA together with our members and students, and those we work with across the world.
“Management accounting has a vital role to build better businesses trusted by society – this honour is welcome recognition of the considerable progress we have made, on which we at CIMA will now build on for the future.”
[/quote]
This being the CIMA joint venture with the American CPA's that mere members like me weren't allowed a vote on, because they knew what the result would be.
Linda Homer
has delivered more at a lower cost. HMRC figures back that up. So she, siglehanded, has saved us tax payers shed loads of money. So come on, let's give her the big hand she deserves.
Just a thought
Perhaps we should start an online petition? Enough signatories and it might get debated in the House of Commons. Surely there are in excess of 100,000 accountants out there willing to sign it, although I suspect most of them are quite busy right now.
It might provide us all with some light relief.
It never changes..........
Why is it this benighted nation state and its ludicrous honours system continually rewards those who fail: seems the more spectacular the failure, the higher the honour!
Still, on the bright side, this dreadful woman is now the equal of one Barbara Windsor: you know, the one married to the arch criminal that was hiding in Southern Spain.
One apposite reality: Homer should take lessons from Windsor for a new farce: "Carry On Ruining the Country!"
P.S. A further thought: Starring Homer Simpson!!
About the same intellectual level........
Carry On Commenting
[quote=Michael C Feltham]
Why is it this benighted nation state and its ludicrous honours system continually rewards those who fail: seems the more spectacular the failure, the higher the honour!
Still, on the bright side, this dreadful woman is now the equal of one Barbara Windsor: you know, the one married to the arch criminal that was hiding in Southern Spain.
One apposite reality: Homer should take lessons from Windsor for a new farce: "Carry On Ruining the Country!"
[/quote]
Babs got hers for "services to innuendo" - they finally gave her one.
no one knocks the system from within
As mentioned above, it was her turn. The only thing i would say in her favour would be at least i have heard about her, not some diplomat based in a far away land.
Does anyone really care?
The people that really deserve these awards are not famous and don’t hold high positions so they rarely get recognised.
In true British style, we continue to reward failure.
Decadent
In anointing Ms Homer with this publicly recognised award, the establishment and the ruling elite assert its opinion of the commons select committee enquiry findings and with that act, blatantly dismiss public concern and the pretense of HMRC accountability to the taxpayer.
Simply decadent...
Where is the incentive...............
Where is the incentive to do a GREAT job? The bigger the cock[***] up the bigger the pay off these days.
And if you are really lucky you might receive an Honour.
Demoralising for the those doing an honest days work.
Status Quo Reigns Supreme!
Clearly you do not understand how the Whitehall Two Step operates....
Rise high enough in the Civil Service, by ensuring you play politics, don't make any waves or step on any toes and you are guaranteed a KCMG/ Damehood etc.
Most important thing is to ensure nothing useful or necessary is enacted when you are in post.
Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister summed it up rather well. The senior Civil Service honcho's primary job function is to obstruct any useful changes dreamed up by governments!
"Clearly" is an aggressive adverb....
...when starting a phrase. As it states what was obvious before, it demonstrates that, in the words of Dell Amitri, that the user is "the last to know", and so belittles any argument put forth by the user. Hint: Leave it out. It is tautological.
"Clearly" is an aggressive adverb....
...and should never be used to start a phrase. If it is used, it demonstrates that the user is "the last to know" what was blindingly obvious to everyone else, so destroying the credibility of the user. Use it for weather forecasts by all means, though.
Lin Homers damehood
Well now the truth is out.
HMRC now has its own Dame. Seems to prove that this organisation is now recognised for the pantomime performance it regularly puts in.
Her appointment is frankly offensive given her long record of underachievement.
Lin Homer
Absolutely unbelievable that this lady should be rewarded in such a manner for failure of such a grand scale. Who knows? Next we may have a Lord Cameron following the failure of the EU renegotiations and what about Sir George Osborne for services to the rental property sector.
Excuse me I suddemly feel violently sick.
David Cameron & George Osborne
I only hope, when the EU renegotiations are published, that it doesn't get the same spin as the 'forcing the EU' to halve the extra £1.7billion we had to pay because of our alleged 'ecomonic success'.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/nov/07/uk-pays-full-eu-rebate-despite-osborne-claim-he-halved-it
EU
A bit off-topic I know but I'm getting fed up with hearing about Lin Homer.
The real negotiations on Europe will only start after a No vote. Only then will we end up with the economic relationship we always really wanted. But I hope they don't give away our fishing grounds for nowt this time.
Apparently.....
She was awarded this in the summer for the Queen's Birthday honours. However, due to her post backlog she didn't send her acceptance back for six months!
Customer Service
What left me speechless was the spokesman's comment that one of the reasons she was elevated above us mere mortals was “All of this was delivered at the same time as improving our customer service and continuing to roll-out a transformation programme that will see us reduce our estate costs by £100m per year by 2025”. I wonder what the definition is of failure if the quality of service we have seen, is defined as worthy of an honour.
Personally, I think the whole honours system fails the nation and should be scrapped. The rewards come through the pay scheme and that is sufficient. If we want to thank people for anything it should be for their voluntary contributions to society and the good works that they do. The rest is just a massive ego trip, usually reserved for those who are already ensconced amongst the elite.
LIN HOMER
I gather from the news today that the said lady is standing down as HMRC CEO or whatever she is called.
Is this coincidence or has Accounting Web suddenly gained a power we were not aware of?
Any chance of a debate on George Osborne's suitability for the job?
Good News
Sounds like good news but the next one will probably be as bad.
What took her so long I wonder! Maybe she will be given another job somewhere else where someone is needed to make a mess again!!!
@tedbuck
The clue is in the word GoOnNowGo.
Or even
Dun Contolling Britain.
Witch
Suddenly had this song pop into my head "Ding dong the witch is dead".
Hopefully happier days ahead!
"Lin"/Linda Homer - an examination of her career
thomas34 excellently outlined a précis of what she has failed at:(a) election fraud in Birmingham, (b) Head of the Borders Agency overseeing asylum seeking APPLICATIONS, (c) and then Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs. Who and where are these people who appoint such inadequacies, and then reward, but later "dismiss". Who would believe that she is "retiring" when the vogue is for those at the top to "retire due to ill health" when, in fact they are fit and healthy? Does this mean that she should give back her "gong"?
I did hear a rumour
that she was being headhunted for the chief of police job in Cologne.
DAme Disaster
Wykipedia connected her post border agency and pre HMRC with the Ministry of Transport and that failed Train Franchise fiasco.
Also how many of you remember the successful legal case brought last year against the border agency by an American consultancy that related back to her tenure. They were awarded from memory around £270m in damages!
Its much worse in reality
Just how do you
get rid of someone that has worked their nuts off yet failed dramatically? They used to award the DCM (Don't Come Monday) but in her case it has to be Don't Arrive Monday Ever.