Content
Leading article...
We can't go on like this...
General tax...
The name is Bond
Blessed are the givers
Excuses, excuses
PAYE the penalty
Silver and gold
Moving goalposts
Doctor, doctor...
Something phishy
Pension problems
Tax dot com
Unpleasant discoveries
Fair's fair (at last)
Chartered taxpayers
This year, next year
VAT...
Focus your mind
Flat rates aren't flat
Reverse the charges
Flapjack flash
Ready set ECSL
A lofty idea
Law items...
I want my lawyer
Not on my holiday
A grey area
No difference
| HMRC have published a new "charter" which sets out the standards which they are supposed to uphold when dealing with the public. There was a similar document under the Major government, but it disappeared from view sometime in the 1990s. It is full of fine sentiments: "we will respect you; help and support you to get things right; treat you as honest; treat you even-handedly; be professional and act with integrity; tackle people who deliberately break the rules and challenge those who bend the rules; protect your information and respect your privacy; accept that someone else can represent you; and do all we can to keep the cost of dealing with HMRC as low as possible." We are all holding our breath to see if it makes any difference, and to see what happens to individual taxpayers who find that individual HMRC officers don't measure up to that standard. |
© Bayar Hughes & Co., 2010.