Tax & Accounting News

Warning Follows Tax Office Expose

28/04/2009

Harris Lipman is reminding businesses and individuals to be on the lookout for mistakes in their tax demands after a TV investigation revealed a catalogue of problems at HM Revenue and Customs.

A report by ITV’s Tonight programme claimed staff were routinely ignoring phone calls and letters as they struggled to stay on top of their workload.

A whistleblower also claimed people were receiving demands for money they did not owe, and being threatened with additional penalty charges if they did not pay up.

And while a spokesperson for HMRC told the programme they constantly monitored performance and would act on any issues raised, Harris Lipman senior partner Barry Lewis said many of his clients had encountered similar problems.

“The content of the programme did not surprise me at all,” he added.

“It reflected exactly the day-to-day relationships with Revenue and Customs which are becoming more difficult and fraught as time goes on, causing my clients a great deal of unnecessary anguish.”

Visit www.itv.com/News/tonight/default.html to view the programme online.

 

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