The Adjudicator Speaks

Most of my tips are about tax, and this one is no different.  However, even if you find nothing of interest in what I have to say, I recommend you read the Adjudicator’s Office’s Annual Report 2014.  It is very well-written and a jolly good read.

I quote directly:

“this year 90% of HMRC customer complaints have been upheld. My case studies also reflect this and I am again disappointed to see HMRC staff still overlooking the needs of some vulnerable customers.”

That is in comparison to the two other government agencies about who people can complain measuring 37.5% and 21.3%!

If ever there was a statistic to make HMRC staff more humble!  Sadly, they are of an alien breed who still believe that they are always right and cannot be wrong.  That conclusion of mine is borne out by the 90% statistic because to get as far as the Adjudicator, you have to go through two internal review processes within HMRC.  So, HMRC get it wrong, you ask them to reconsider and they still say they are right, you ask them to think again and 90% of the time they still maintain that they are right when an independent government agency tells them they are wrong.  Now I don’t like HMRC at the best of times, but that statistic has even surprised me.  Staggering!

So, if you get into a dispute with HMRC, don’t believe them when they tell you three times that they cannot be wrong.