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MPs launch new probe into HMRC admin

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29th Oct 2010
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A committee of MPs has launched yet another Parliamentary inquiry into HMRC internal workings.

The Treasury Sub-Committee this week announced it would be looking into HMRC’s administration and effectiveness, the latest in a series of public grillings the department has had to undergo since the huge backlog of unreconcilied PAYE records came to light during the summer.

The wider issue of staffing levels and morale within the department came to light at recent hearings with both the Treasury Select Committee and the Public Accounts Committee. As fate would have it, the latest Commons probe was announced just a week after HMRC staff informed that 13,000 jobs would be axed over the next four years in the wake of the coalition government’s Spending Review. The job losses come on top of the 25,000 posts lost since the department was set up in 2005.
 
Labour MP George Mudie, chairman of the new Treasury sub-committee, commented: “HMRC was criticised heavily over the end-of-year reconciliations. Like most government departments, it will have to make sizeable cuts in administration. We will examine how HRMC is doing its job, whether it can do it better and what the future holds following the spending review settlement.”
 
The sub-committee’s inquiry will pick up from a previous Treasury select committee investigation, which was published earlier this year and suggested that morale inside the government agency was so low that plans to tackle aggressive tax avoidance were under threat. The new inquiry will look at the impact of the efficiency programme on HMRC’s performance and issues such as the payment of tax credits. The terms of reference include the following points:

  • HMRC’s performance as an organisation and whether it is delivering its key aims
  • What the implications are of HMRC’s spending review settlement
  • Whether HMRC is able to deliver the government’s aims on tax compliance
  • Whether PAYE reform is necessary; and
  • What HMRC’s priorities should be for the future.

HMRC chief executive Dame Lesley Strathie is expected to be among those called to give evidence.

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By cymraeg_draig
30th Oct 2010 11:45

Simple

They dont need an "enquiry".

Sack the useless numpties at the top, and start listening to the poor accountants who have to deal with this incompetent organisation daily.

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By fionamcke
01st Nov 2010 14:53

Unpaid tax collectors

Governments of all hues have talked about reducing bureaucratic burdens on small businesses but one of the biggest burdens are the SMEs role as unpaid tax collectors. Both PAYE and VAT get ever more complex with big penalties for getting it wrong and little help from HMRC and their dreadful call centres.

Simplification is urgently required plus more and better trained staff at HMRC.

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By lrthinkmap
01st Nov 2010 17:02

Incompetent HMRC administration

Yes I agree.

Our jobs are not about accounting anymore but as unpaid agents for HMRC. We should all change our job titles to HMRC correction for mistakes agents.

Not a single day goes by without receiving a penalty which has been issued in error by HRMC; and we cannot contact a human being at HMRC to sort it out. No, we have to go to the trouble of putting in an appeal; which you have to post off and try to fax (the fax numbers are blocked now, no doubt too many agents trying to sort out the unjustified penalteis issued in bulk) to hope that someone will actually deal with it at the other end. Why does HMRC state individuals phone numbers on their correspondence they send agents but when you phone you are put through to either the employer helpline, which is a misnomer because they can never help. 

HMRC needs to be led by the professionals on the shop floor; the agents. The agents could easily sort out all the mess HMRC have got themsleves into.

Rant over.

 

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By chrisjoynes
01st Nov 2010 18:55

HMRC is a waste of space

They simply do my head in! The amount of hours wasted on the phone trying to get through - thank god for speaker phones so you can get on with real work while listening to classical "your on hold" music.

........................................................................................................

123Contracting

Contractor accountants

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By Silverwhitewhiskers
02nd Nov 2010 12:00

HMRC Admin

It seems to be it should be the other way around. Surely HMRC should be asking the questions. How can you run a department when the muppets  at the top keep coming up with more crack pot unworkable cost ineffective schemes. axing of child benefits for some any one ?.

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