HMRC have launched their Charter, which aims to positively change the experience a customer has with HMRC. In the charter, they detail how, we, the customer will be treated by all employees of HMRC but they do have expectations from us.
Contractor Calculator discusses whether the charter is merely HMRC’s attempt to be seen to be doing the right thing or a genuine attempt to reinvent itself as a customer-centric organisation. However, they say, if the latter, then the charter could signal a major reversal in how contractors have traditionally been treated by HMRC. They expect this charter would also entail a huge cultural shift on the part of individual tax inspectors and HMRC departments. They believe it is unlikely to be embraced without contractors and other taxpayers challenging HMRC to stick to the terms of its new charter.
HMRC state that each employee of HMRC will;
- Respect you
- Help and support you to get things right
- Treat you as honest
- Treat you even-handedly
- Be professional and act with integrity
- Tackle people who deliberately break the rules and challenge those who bend the rules
- Protect your information and respect your privacy
- Accept that someone else can represent you
- Do all we can to keep the cost of dealing with us as low as possible
In return though, HMRC expect all contractors and customers to be honest, respect all their employees and take care to get things right with regards to tax returns etc.
The charter’s implementation and enforcement will be overseen by a Charter Advisory Committee formed of tax specialists, including CIOT’s Whiting. They have been charged with ensuring that HMRC is sticking to its own rules.
In addition to HMRC being overseen by the Charter Advisory Committee, contractors and other taxpayers will be able to complain directly to HMRC if they feel it is not providing an adequate service or is failing to adhere to the charter.
