Tax & Accounting News

Call for Better Handling of Bereavement

07/12/2009

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) needs to improve the way it treats recently-bereaved people, according to a campaigning organisation.

The Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG) has called for HMRC to pilot a ‘Tell Us Once’ scheme, whereby the bereaved can report a death to a single government agency, which would then notify all the relevant bodies – saving people the trauma of having to report the same death several times to different departments.

The group also suggested that HMRC should offer face-to-face help and home visits for vulnerable taxpayers, or pay for the voluntary sector to do so, and wants the department to take steps to end the overpayment of tax by elderly people.

LITRG chairman John Andrews said: “LITRG tries to join up the activity of HMRC with other departments, such as the DWP and we are continually frustrated at the silo mentality of ostensibly customer-facing organisations.

“People need the maximum support from all government departments at the time of bereavement.”