Hmrc To Close 130 Regional Tax Offices

[Zippy]

Only time I've been in a tax office was to do a gig in their social club. Took three months to get paid

You should have asked for cash in hand.

[RichardCranium]

a) not providing assistance to the public should increase tax revenues - who queries underpayments?

i dont get that

When you think you have not paid enough tax, would you be in a rush to tell them? Or wait for them to contact you? Them being accessible is irrelevant.

When you think they owe you money, you will contact them to get it sorted. Them being inaccessible is in their interest.


When you are having trouble filling in tax forms, how does answering your questions it benefit them? If you get it wrong and overpay, they probably wont tell you. If you get it wrong and underpay, they charge a fine and interest.


It is not in HMRC's interests to be helpful. And, funnily enough...

(I refer to the Inland Revenue bit in this, not the VAT people who I have always found to be helpful, even proactive on occasion.)

[Cliphead]

Only time I've been in a tax office was to do a gig in their social club. Took three months to get paid

[joey122]

a) not providing assistance to the public should increase tax revenues - who queries underpayments?

i dont get that

[AtW]

Plenty of help info online or on the phone (if you can get through).

[shaunbhoy]

potentially forcing tens of thousands of taxpayers to travel further for advice

[RichardCranium]

a) not providing assistance to the public should increase tax revenues - who queries underpayments?

b) the one time I visited a tax office in person for advice, some 20 years ago, the thinks person I saw could not have been less helpful. Well, he could: he could have locked the door. He's probably comfortably retired now, having not done a day's work in his life.

[joey122]

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle6986991.ece

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) announced that 130 regional tax offices are to close, potentially forcing tens of thousands of taxpayers to travel further for advice and submit their self-assessment returns.

The closures put up to 1,700 jobs at risk, according to the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, which also warned the public that tax advice would be "severely reduced", and tax collection "undermined".

Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS, said: "Access to tax advice in communities across the UK will be damaged by the confirmation of these closures, which will hit businesses and the public, as well as taking quality jobs out of local communities during a recession. Rather than cuts the government should be investing to recoup the lost billions in tax."

HMRC said that the closures were part of an ongoing review following the merger of the Inland Revenue and HM Customs & Excise and denied that the plans would put tax collection at risk. A spokesman said: "By bringing staff together in larger teams and closing smaller offices, HMRC will be able to deliver a better service to customers while delivering taxpayers better value for money."

"HMRC is committed to doing everything we can to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible and for those who wish to continue their Civil Service careers, we will work hard to redeploy people both within HMRC as well as to other government departments and agencies."

He added: "This tax year we aim to reduce tax losses by a further £2.4 billion and this target will not be affected by today's announcement." No firm date has been set as to when the offices will be shut.