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Readers do not need me to tell them that service levels in HMRC have come in for severe criticism in recent months. The professional bodies wrote collectively to the department recently with some examples of poor service (see News update, Taxation, 23 June 2022, page 4) and there is no doubt that those concerns are widely shared. As I start to meet fellow professionals in person again the topic of HMRC performance rarely takes long to surface.
But genuine as those concerns are, they are not the complete picture: there are undoubtably many instances where HMRC do respond effectively and promptly. Only a couple of weeks ago, a reader got in touch with me to share his experience of raising a question with HMRC. He sent an email at 12.41pm and received a full response back (not just an acknowledgement) at 3.14pm the same day. That’s a service which many commercial organisations would be proud of.
We at Taxation try to reflect all strands of opinion within our profession. Writers do get very passionate about their pet subjects and express themselves forcefully. That is all to the good: it makes for lively reading (although we do occasionally suggest that people turn down the volume a bit!). It is inevitable that HMRC will come in for criticism at times and, as long as that is done professionally and does not turn into personal abuse, that is all part and parcel of professional life. But I am always conscious that Taxation is widely read within HMRC and that its staff are as much part of the tax community as those working in practice or in industry. So I am always happy to share positive feedback.
If you do one thing...
If you deal with enterprise management incentive schemes see HMRC’s revised note on valuations in Employment Related Securities Bulletin 44 (tinyurl.com/hmrcersb44).
