Fear and Loathing at HMRC

Here’s what I get all the time from ‘tax agents’ they say, “Why are you bashing HMRC?” Then, “Look you had a bad experience with an overzelous officer, but that’s not typical…” or they will say, “Yes that was a few years ago, those days are long gone now, HMRC are much more professional and don’t go ‘fishing’ in the way they used to.”

There are days when I think I’m barking mad – barking up the wrong tree, why don’t I do something more useful with my time, or indeed just go to the cinema? Then I get feedback from people like Sean O’Grady who have been through the HMRC mill and I think, you know HMRC are still at it!

Sean says, “…if your tax return is late or you happen to have misinterpreted one of their internally contradictory rules, these supposedly cuddly ‘tax doesn’t have to be taxing’ folk will threaten you, fine you and generally mistreat you in a manner that would have their counterparts in Pyongyang cooing in admiration at such unbending zeal… HM Revenue and Customs runs on a culture of bullying and fear… successive governments have granted them unparalleled powers over the individual, often pursued for trivial sums while the non-doms and the oligarchs are offered personal consultations and have their tax affairs settled by negotiation.”

Read the full article in The Independent by clicking here.