On the wane

KEY POINTS

• HMRC is the second most complained about department.
• Overpaid tax credits still cause for complaint.
• Shocking tale of HMRC error.

Even though the number of complaints to the parliamentary and health service ombudsman about HMRC fell by 7.8% in 2008/09 it still was the second most complained about department after the Department for Work and Pensions but excluding health bodies.

Ann Abraham current Ombudsman shows in her latest annual report that 27% of complaints received concerned the tax department.

However far fewer were accepted for investigation i.e. 24 in total compared with 160 in 2007/08 and accounted for only 11% of complaints investigated by the Ombudsman (see HMRC Complaints and Results). The previous year it accounted for 48% of complaints accepted.

While much of the ombudsman’s work in 2008/09 was...