Bully Revenue under siege on stealth tax

[Fungus]

I suppose in NLs eyes thats only fair, but I will not tolerate this latest blatant abuse of taxpayers funds by NL least we find ourselves on the slippery slope to State Socialism.

I hate to break the news to you but ... no it's Christmas, I can't do it ... ignorance is bliss ... let sleeping dogs lie ... [choose a cliche]

Fungus

[AlfredJPruffock]

Thanks for that comrade.

BTW

The cost of developing a computer system for the government's tax credits scheme has shot up by £84m in less than two years, according to new figures.

Revenue & Customs, which operates the system, estimated it would cost £274m, but official figures now show the price tag to be £358m.

The figures were obtained by Liberal Democrat welfare spokesman David Laws from a series of parliamentary questions. The jump in development costs will fuel calls from opposition MPs for the chancellor to simplify the tax credit scheme.

Introduced in 2003, the system has suffered a series of problems, many of them linked to poor design and implementation. More than 2 million people were forced to refund tax credit overpayments worth £2bn in the first two years.

The parliamentary ombudsman told MPs she believed the scheme suffered from "systemic maladministration" in the way it recovered overpayments.

The IT contract was taken away from US computer services firm EDS last summer and handed over to Cap Gemini Ernst & Young.

Cap Gemini said it would maintain the current system under a fixed price contract, but refused to include developments to the tax credit software in the deal.

Earlier this year the paymaster general, Dawn Primarolo, promised to modify the system and Gordon Brown announced further upgrades in the pre-budget report three weeks ago.

Mr Laws said the figures showed the computer system was switched on before it was ready and three years of further development had failed to provide a solution.

"The way customers use the system hasn't changed. It only needs constant development because it wasn't ready at the time it was switched on," he said.

"The tax credit system has been a shambles and problems with the IT have not gone away.

"If there is no fixed price to the current contract with Cap Gemini, the cost of fixing the system and building in the new changes such as those announced during the pre-budget report are likely to escalate further and prove hard to contain."

A Revenue & Customs spokesman said: "The recent information given to parliament explains the new estimate includes 'four extra [IT] releases not in the original plan'. Over the last two years we have made improvements to the system and its functionality.

"As with any organisation, we refine our IT systems and respond to how they are being used by our customers and staff; our systems evolve and improve to reflect these changes."

[stackpole]

A Revenue & Customs spokesman said: "As with any organisation, we refine our IT systems and respond to how they are being used by our customers and staff; our systems evolve and improve to reflect these changes."

Customers? What are they selling?

There is little that annoys me as much as the Revenue referring to me as a customer, as if I have any choices at all when dealing with them. Any REAL business that treated its customers in the way that the Revenue treat their's, with incompetence, bullying, and total arrogance, would not be a business any longer.

[Fungus]

Customers? What are they selling?

There is little that annoys me as much as the Revenue referring to me as a customer, as if I have any choices at all when dealing with them. Any REAL business that treated its customers in the way that the Revenue treat their's, with incompetence, bullying, and total arrogance, would not be a business any longer.

I wonder if inmates at Stangeways are now referred to as 'customers'?

Are the Iraqi rebels referred to as 'customer's of the UK armed forces? If so will we distribute customer satisfaction surveys?

---------------------------------------------------------
Q? Mr. Abdullal Hussain, what is your opinion of the way we maimed and mutilated you and your close relatives: very satisfied, satisfied, not satisfied, dissatisfied?
Q? Given the option, who would you most choose to be maimed and mutilated by next time round a) UK troops, or b) American troops.
Q? Do you soil your strangely ethnic undergarments most when confronted by a) UK troops, b) US troops or c) the UK Inland Revenue?
Q? Please tell us in not more than 20 words how we can improve delivery of our services to you.

And everyone who returns their form will have their name entered in a prize draw, and the winner will go on an all expenses paid trip of a (short) lifetime to the exotic Caribbean.
---------------------------------------------------------

I wonder if the UK forces have 'targets' in the New Lier sense of the word? Each soldier is to kill 10 strangely ethnic and slightly wiffy sun-tanned gentlemen per day. And do they talk about productivity, and incentivising?

Fungus

[BobTheCrate]

Any REAL business that treated its customers in the way that the Revenue treat their's, with incompetence, bullying, and total arrogance, would not be a business any longer.

Never a truer word Stackers.

I don't think this (Inland Revenue bullying) is unique to New Lier. It's symptomatic of failings in the civil service.

To a small extent I'd say that is fair comment. But it is far too mild to attribute it to 'failings'. It is attributed to them having lobbied for evermore powers and them predictably abusing those powers.

The growth of Inland Revenue arrogance, aggression and bullying has increased 10 fold under this wretched Gov't - proportionally with its powers.

The Inland Revenue are demonstrably the most prolific and most grubby of tax cheats.

[wendigo100]

There is little that annoys me as much as the Revenue referring to me as a customer, as if I have any choices at all when dealing with them.

Absolutely SP, and Fungus ably demonstrates what a stupid concept it is. Was 7/7 the equivalent of a letter to the customer complaints department?