Tax & Accounting News

Getting Through To HM Revenue And Customs

05/06/2009

Harris Lipman regularly hears from clients who are experiencing problems communicating with HMRC, whether it is resolving an incorrect demand or just trying to get hold of some information. But if HMRC are failing to help, what steps should be taken next?

An incorrect demand should be acted on straight away. Tax demands are issued by HMRC recovery offices (occasionally still referred to as the Collector of Taxes). They cannot help resolve a dispute, as they do not have the information on how the tax bill was calculated, but they will usually agree to stop collection proceedings on the disputed amount until it can be sorted out with the tax office responsible for working out the bill.

Calling that tax office should be the next step, armed with details of the problem and the necessary tax reference number. The first point of contact is a call centre, manned mainly by staff with little tax training who will probably not be able to answer more complicated queries. If they cannot help, the call centre staff should refer queries to the Service Office, who are supposed to call back within three to five working days.

If the return call does not happen, or if it does but without a satisfactory result, the next step should be writing to the tax office, including the tax reference number, explaining that the Service Office has not responded properly, and setting out the question. And if there is no response after a further four weeks, a reminder should be sent, including a copy of the first letter and any enclosures, in case it has gone astray. If the question refers to a demand, a copy should also be sent to the recovery office involved.

If there is still no reply after a further two weeks, another letter should be written, marked ‘For the attention of the Officer in Charge’, and with ‘COMPLAINT CASE’ clearly printed in red ink across the top. Again, copies of all previous correspondence should be included, but little else needs to be written, other than referring to that correspondence and insisting on a response within seven days.

If that fails, the matter should be taken to HMRC’s Complaints Service – more information on that is available at www.hmrc.gov.uk. Please contact us for more information or advice on dealing with HMRC.

 

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