After
all the dust has settled on the rights and wrongs of the budget last week, I
couldn’t help but scratch my head at this one.
OK,
let’s start at the beginning. As things currently stand, HMRC is not fit for
purpose and the Government has calculated that they are missing £7 billion each
year in tax revenues. The Government estimate that 800,000 people a year are
completing their tax return incorrectly.
Whilst
the Government has shouted long and hard about a need for investment in a ‘new’
HMRC to increase tax revenues, the current action is nothing short of
ridiculous.
In
short, all 281 HMRC Enquiry Centres which give face to face advice to some 2.5
million people a year will be closed and replaced by a telephone service that
will save £13 million a year.
Now
if I am not mistaken, I think that means that less resources to help people
will mean an increase to the £7 billion of missing tax revenue each year
surely? Let’s hope it’s less than £13 million!
Farcical
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