Payments, repayments and debt

I write to comment on HMRC's consultative document (Modernising Powers Deterrents and Safeguards: Payments Repayments and Debt) about increasing their powers particularly in relation to debt collection.

In my view it would be anti-libertarian for HMRC to have the power to collect money from taxpayers' accounts directly. I have tales of incompetence on the part of HMRC similar to the story told by Andy Wells (see 'No end in sight' Taxation 6 September 2007). We cannot rely on HMRC always to calculate tax correctly; quite apart from that it is utterly unacceptable in my view for the state to be able to recover money directly from individuals' bank accounts (apart from in the most exceptional situations).

As an example you might be interested to know of the following situation:

I have a client whose one-man company was pursued by HMRC for a debt of...