HMRC needs to sharpen up

BY TRISTRAN RUSSELL, PARTNER, DEXTER & SHARPE

Can I pursue my claim in the UK if the accident occurred abroad?

If the accident was someone else’s fault, it is possible to claim compensation in the UK, but it is important to seek legal advice as soon as possible as the rules can be complex.

What can I claim for?

There are many things you can claim for if you have been involved in an accident which is not your fault such as pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment, travelling expenses and many more.

For more information visit: www.wilkinchapman.co.uk/resources/2 022/08/18/what-to-do-if-you-have-anaccident-on-holiday or contact Marisha Lowe on 01522 515931.

IMAGINE

I’m saying this very quietly... ‘His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs requires a little investment from the Treasury to increase the number it employs’.

It’s a strange thing for a taxpayer and accountant to say you might think, but recent events have made me consider that HMRC is not fit for purpose.

During the early part of the year the SelfAssessment helpline was reduced to nothing other than talking to HMRC about late filing penalties and arranging time to pay where taxpayers were struggling to pay tax.

Any technical queries, forget it!

Want to register a new partnership for self-assessment? It still has to be done by paper alone.

In an age when all businesses and taxpayers are urged/coerced into using software for everything, HMRC still will not allow this simple registration to be done safely online.

Clients eager to start trading as a partnership have had their contracts halted as HMRC had yet to issue taxpayer references. The customer experience that taxpayers and tax professionals have is poor. Call waiting times are 40 minutes and beyond.

Now Members of Parliament have asked questions of the Head of HMRC. The response he gave was derided by MPs and press alike.

The VAT registration helpline has been taken away completely. Clients trying to meet their VAT registration notification obligations are frustrated by the slow process. Once the application has been submitted there is no contact with HMRC for 40 days then and only then can you contact HMRC by email to find out if the application has been successful or if you need to provide extra information. While waiting for a VAT number the taxpayer is left in limbo as to whether to issue invoices with or without the VAT addition. Once the VAT number is issued they then have the task of reissuing any invoices issued past the date of registration stated on the application they submitted, with VAT amount and VAT registration number on each invoice. This builds to frustration, added cost and potential for error for the client. Several partnership clients have had the infamy to have suffered both waiting for a tax payer reference and then waiting for the VAT number too. This makes us as accountants look incompetent, however, we have to cope with the system in place.

HMRC has been rigorously scaled back by consecutive Governments. From having offices in large towns to the regional hubs and call centres we have now. If HMRC was to invest in more tax technicians it would enhance the client customer experience of HMRC avoiding delay and frustration.

Email info@dextersharpelincoln.co.uk www.dexter sharpe.co.uk