News - other

New role

Paul Gray CB, HMRC chairman, has been appointed chairman of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's forum on tax administration. He takes over from Mark W Everson, US Internal Revenue Service Commissioner on 1 June 2007. The forum brings together OECD and non-OECD countries to share information and to develop best practices for tax administration in taxpayer service and compliance.
OECD press release dated 28 May 2007

Help needed

Pensioners on low incomes do not receive enough help from HMRC and, as a consequence, too many mistakes are made which mean that they pay too much tax. A new report, Older people on low incomes: The case for tax reform, from the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group sets out a range of improvements which it believes would alleviate the problem.
John Andrews, chairman of the LITRG, says that pensioners on low incomes are a low priority for HMRC, 'the merger of the old Inland Revenue and Customs has focused on business tax and it is now time for the tax problems of the low-income pensioner to become a priority for HMRC'.
The report explains the tax problems of becoming a pensioner and highlights many key areas where HMRC make mistakes and outlines reforms.
Rob Ellerby, president of The Chartered Institute of Taxation, adds that everyone needs 'to be given the tools to help them understand their tax position' and that 'some people, particularly older people on low incomes, may never be able to fathom the complexities of the tax system and need extra help and support from government agencies'.
The report can be downloaded from www.litrg.org.uk.

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