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Previously on "at a despair - Notice of assessment recevied"

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  • DealorNoDeal
    replied
    Originally posted by webberg View Post
    HMRC are immensely powerful in Gov't and think that they can literally get away with anything from intimidating taxpayers to ignoring the rule of law to lying to Parliament. Unfortunately, they have done all of this and have not been reprimanded.
    They are like the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad back in the 70s and 80s.

    West Midlands Serious Crime Squad - Wikipedia

    The Police knew who the criminals were but couldn't pin anything on them, so they fitted them up instead.

    HMRC take the same attitude with scheme users. The ends (nailing them) justify the means (lying and dishonesty).

    Leave a comment:


  • BrilloPad
    replied
    Originally posted by eek View Post
    When Her Majesty's Revenue merged with Customs and Excise, they took the serious access rights of Customs and Excise and combined it with the lower oversight of Revenue. Then they just let things simmer for a few years..
    Add in retrospection being considered okay in 2008. But it was fine as long as those afected pay their "fair" share. Now contractorsare being asked to pay their "fair" share suddenly the complaints start....

    Leave a comment:


  • BrilloPad
    replied
    Originally posted by cojak View Post
    Really, don't beat yourself up CS, HMRC are already doing enough of that!

    This is the place to vent. If you can't do it here, where can you vent?

    (Just don't put up, too much personal info, for your own safety.)
    I have tried venting here. Got me a perma-ban. Took years of begging for admin to let me back....

    Leave a comment:


  • eek
    replied
    Originally posted by webberg View Post
    How did it come to this?
    When Her Majesty's Revenue merged with Customs and Excise, they took the serious access rights of Customs and Excise and combined it with the lower oversight of Revenue. Then they just let things simmer for a few years..

    Leave a comment:


  • webberg
    replied
    Vent away - because it helps.

    Call us - because it will help.

    (Also it's free and no obligation).

    The one key element here to understand is the power that HMRC has in Government.

    We've spoken to senior MPs, we're talking ex party leaders and contenders, and to quote one to whom we suggested that HMRC be brought to heel

    "Not going to happen in my career"

    HMRC are immensely powerful in Gov't and think that they can literally get away with anything from intimidating taxpayers to ignoring the rule of law to lying to Parliament. Unfortunately, they have done all of this and have not been reprimanded.

    It seems that they are above and beyond the normal checks and balances of our democracy and it's going to take some form of very high level commission (which HMRC will do everything in their power to prevent arising or from doing its job) to bring even a semblance of humanity or compliance to HMRC.

    It's one of life's ironies that the department that wants us all to be more compliant (i.e. pay more tax) are themselves the most uncompliant department in Government.

    I do not say this lightly. I worked for the then Inland Revenue and my trainers and Inspectors would be horrified by what they see now. I have been in tax departments for over 40 years and never have I witnessed the blatant disregard for law, rules, regulations and common decency that I have witnessed in the past 5 or so years, being visited upon the contracting sector.

    Later this week I'm taking part in an "independent" survey of HMRC powers. I have no doubt that the interviewers are independent and no doubt that the results will be reported honestly - to HMRC.

    I am sadly also in no doubt that the results will be manipulated by HMRC to show that they are performing within their powers, no problems, nothing to see here, please move on.

    I could take the view that I'm wasting an hour of my time doing this interview, but we do have to make the effort, otherwise they will continue down the track they are pursuing with no checks.

    How did it come to this?

    Leave a comment:


  • cojak
    replied
    Originally posted by Captain Slog View Post


    Pour me...

    This helps by the way. Sorry if it bores you guys

    Really, don't beat yourself up CS, HMRC are already doing enough of that!

    This is the place to vent. If you can't do it here, where can you vent?

    (Just don't put up, too much personal info, for your own safety.)

    Leave a comment:


  • BrilloPad
    replied
    Originally posted by Captain Slog View Post
    I would question the labelling of HMRC as an important govt department - they are big, granted, and one of the few revenue generating ones, but they are largely an admin unit dependent on ‘rules we have to apply’ to harvest the low hanging fruit of the largely honest (if not mosinformed) tax-paying public to fund other departments. The tasks and processes are generally de-skilled and absolutely not focussed on helping customers to engage, discuss and resolve but are left broken and disjointed to frustrate and mislead until we surrender - with the assumption that there’s no point arguing.
    You are right about 99.99% of HMRC. But the 0.01% make it THE most important government department that seem to be able to get away with anything.

    Leave a comment:


  • DealorNoDeal
    replied
    Originally posted by Captain Slog View Post
    I do need and intend to contact an advisor and have noted Webberg’s considered comments before. I need to get my info together and work out what my questions are though - I just need one constant to anchor the arguments on but the frustration is compounded by the ticking clock, the badly connected hmrc teams and the 20 minute waiting time on any call before going back through security!
    I would definitely speak to webberg. Forget other advisors. I doubt you'll find anyone who is as up to speed with the Montpelier situation as him.

    One crucial thing that you need to be really clear about, when you speak to him, is whether:

    A) you entered a formal settlement contract with HMRC

    or

    B) you just agreed a payment plan with them to pay the APNs and FN penalties

    This could make a difference as to whether HMRC are allowed to add extra charges later (like the surcharges).

    If it was a formal settlement, it should definitely have included interest.

    Leave a comment:


  • NickLeeson2
    replied
    Definitely get that advisor to take some of the weight of your shoulders.

    HMRC's incompetence is costing us all money we don't want to spend and unfortunately the path isn't clear.

    Keep up the fight an don't give in.

    Leave a comment:


  • Captain Slog
    replied
    I promise to keep comments shorter...

    .... which is another Agile/ Digital nonsense!!

    I worked on a project (GDS-“led”) where ‘they’ tied up their hosses, dusted off their spurs and shined up their six-shooters to save the day!

    “Ooh, that website is far too busy (with all that ‘information’ and stuff, across 10 pages!” they said, “we have done some user research (down at the chai latte emporium or the ping-pong bar) and we could get the website down to one page...”

    First show and tell (some months and a few MacBooks for the experts they needed later...) they did what they promised; the website was presented - a fraction of the content and information, a “tell us how you feel” link at the end of each paragraph but all on one page... that was about the length of the original 10 pages!!

    Incidentally - last time I looked at the feedback page/ counter, I think I was one of about a handful of people that had visited, and even fewer had fed back.

    That’s why they need our taxes, and surcharges, and interest, and penalties

    Leave a comment:


  • Captain Slog
    replied


    Pour me...

    This helps by the way. Sorry if it bores you guys

    Leave a comment:


  • Captain Slog
    replied
    H M R C - disjointed!? ?

    Originally posted by dangermaus View Post
    I would certainly agree with the incompetent part. Today I received a notice of assessment for 2015/2016 and when my accountant phoned HMRC to tell them I had already settled that year their response was "Oh yes I see you are correct. Well you can ignore that letter then!"

    Surely this level of general incompetence is not acceptable for such an important government department...
    The cynic in me thinks that the incompetence masks the fact that the lack of knowledge supports their processes with the result that more money is collected. I have paid considerable amounts of tax for years when Montpelier simply submitted my SA forms even though I was working through my registered business and paying corporation tax into the same coffers (I’ve just seen the little violin emoji - I know it was my fault for being rubbish at admin, but one or two roles wouldn’t sign up to the MTM contract so I dropped out but had a continued admin relationship with MP)

    I would question the labelling of HMRC as an important govt department - they are big, granted, and one of the few revenue generating ones, but they are largely an admin unit dependent on ‘rules we have to apply’ to harvest the low hanging fruit of the largely honest (if not mosinformed) tax-paying public to fund other departments. The tasks and processes are generally de-skilled and absolutely not focussed on helping customers to engage, discuss and resolve but are left broken and disjointed to frustrate and mislead until we surrender - with the assumption that there’s no point arguing.

    Leave a comment:


  • Captain Slog
    replied
    Don’t worry, it’s getting funny rather than stressful!

    Originally posted by DealorNoDeal View Post
    I assume the 50% penalties were for not complying with the Follower Notices?

    And the surcharges were for not paying the accelerated payments on time?

    They should really have included the surcharges in your settlement, not springing them on you at a later date. After all, what's the point in having a settlement agreement if it doesn't include everything?

    It might be worth consulting an advisor, like webberg, to see if they are permitted to do this.

    I don't want to add to your stress levels but did your settlement agreement include interest?
    I do need and intend to contact an advisor and have noted Webberg’s considered comments before. I need to get my info together and work out what my questions are though - I just need one constant to anchor the arguments on but the frustration is compounded by the ticking clock, the badly connected hmrc teams and the 20 minute waiting time on any call before going back through security!

    Leave a comment:


  • dangermaus
    replied
    I would certainly agree with the incompetent part. Today I received a notice of assessment for 2015/2016 and when my accountant phoned HMRC to tell them I had already settled that year their response was "Oh yes I see you are correct. Well you can ignore that letter then!"

    Surely this level of general incompetence is not acceptable for such an important government department...

    Leave a comment:


  • DealorNoDeal
    replied
    I assume the 50% penalties were for not complying with the Follower Notices?

    And the surcharges were for not paying the accelerated payments on time?

    They should really have included the surcharges in your settlement, not springing them on you at a later date. After all, what's the point in having a settlement agreement if it doesn't include everything?

    It might be worth consulting an advisor, like webberg, to see if they are permitted to do this.

    I don't want to add to your stress levels but did your settlement agreement include interest?
    Last edited by DealorNoDeal; 10 March 2020, 20:39.

    Leave a comment:

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