Download or read book Administration and effectiveness of HM Revenue and Customs written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Treasury Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2011-07-30 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report identified serious concerns in a number of areas, including: unacceptable difficulties contacting HMRC by phone during peak periods; endemic delays in responding to post; and an increasing focus on online communication that may exclude those without reliable internet access. The Committee recognises that the Department performs a crucial role and operates under significant external pressures including continuing resource reductions, deficiencies in tax legislation and the legacy of the merger. It also acknowledges the commitment of management to tackling these problems and the dedication and professionalism of HMRC staff. However, it concluded that the Department has a difficult few years ahead of it, as it attempts to improve its service. The Committee makes recommendations in the following areas: Improving the service provided by contact centres; providing robust alternative to online contact; ensuring greater awareness of the impact of process changes on individuals and businesses; ensuring reductions in resources are managed in a way that is commensurate with the enabling IT and process improvements and minimises the loss of Departmental tax expertise; reviewing the division of responsibilities between HMRC and HM Treasury in relation to making tax policy, to ensure practical considerations are taken into account at the earliest possible stage; better targeting of letters that threaten serious consequences against individuals; having the National Audit Office externally audit preparations for Real-time Information, to ensure Ministers can be held accountable for progress against the Government's ambitious timetable; and examining how the Department can achieve better accountability around the settlement of large tax cases
Download or read book The Green Book written by Great Britain. Treasury and published by Stationery Office. This book was released on 2003 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new edition incorporates revised guidance from H.M Treasury which is designed to promote efficient policy development and resource allocation across government through the use of a thorough, long-term and analytically robust approach to the appraisal and evaluation of public service projects before significant funds are committed. It is the first edition to have been aided by a consultation process in order to ensure the guidance is clearer and more closely tailored to suit the needs of users.
Download or read book Managing Public Money written by Great Britain. Treasury and published by Stationery Office Books (TSO). This book was released on 2007 with total page 69 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dated October 2007. The publication is effective from October 2007, when it replaces "Government accounting". Annexes to this document may be viewed at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk
Download or read book Closing the tax gap written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Treasury Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2012-03-09 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Treasury Committee report considers HM Revenue & Custom's past work in ensuring tax compliance and concludes that while progress has been made, there is still work to be done. HMRC defines the tax gap as the difference between tax collected and the tax that should be collected (the theoretical liability). The theoretical tax liability represents the tax that would be paid if all individuals and companies complied with both the letter of the law and HMRC's interpretation of the intention of Parliament in setting law (referred to as the spirit of the law). Enabling voluntary compliance is the most efficient way of closing the tax gap, and HMRC must ensure that all those who wish to comply with their tax obligations are able to do so. Part of the process of encouraging voluntary compliance is demonstrating that HMRC treats all taxpayers fairly, whether they are individuals, small businesses, or large corporations. The tax system should be simplified to make compliance easier. HMRC's recent announcement of ways it intends to improve its processes for settling tax disputes is a step forward in the context of wider questions needing to be answered about the accountability structures of HMRC. HMRC's calculation of the tax gap is flawed and risks focusing the minds of its employees on the wrong task: maximising revenue at all cost rather than ensuring that all taxpayers pay the right amount of tax.
Download or read book Integration of Revenue Administration written by and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2010 with total page 59 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Good revenue administration is a vital contributor to good government. This book examines the experience of 11 countries in integrating revenue administration to optimize effectiveness and enhance efficiency over the past three decades, either by merging tax and customs administration or unifying collection of tax and social contributions.
Download or read book Integration of Revenue Administration written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2010-09-21 with total page 59 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In order to minimize the need for taxpayers to respond to multiple revenue agencies, some countries have integrated their revenue administrations, either by merging tax and customs administration, or unifying collection of tax and social contributions. This book examines the experience of 11 countries in doing so. Their experiences indicate that integrating collection entails modernizing the revenue administration and reducing contact between the tax office and taxpayers, thanks to the extensive use of ICT.
Download or read book The efficiency of National Insurance administration written by Great Britain: National Audit Office and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010-06-30 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: HM Revenue and Customs has taken significant steps to improve the efficiency of National Insurance administration. It has managed to reduce staff numbers substantially while avoiding any major operational failures. However, HMRC needs to demonstrate more clearly that it is providing value for money from the £350 million it spends each year and take advantage of opportunities to secure further savings. In the area of HMRC with responsibility for maintaining National Insurance records there were 1,200 staffing reductions. But HMRC does not have a clear picture of the total costs of the system and how these have changed. During the period of change there have been no significant operating failures across the system of collecting and recording National Insurance contributions. Furthermore, there are examples of significant increases in productivity in processing information. However, HMRC has not achieved all of its National Insurance performance targets. In particular, while it has improved its accuracy in processing data, in 2009-10 the Department achieved 93 per cent accuracy against its target of 97 per cent. There are a number of ways in which HMRC could improve how the system of National Insurance functions. On accuracy, HMRC needs to ensure standards of accuracy for National Insurance records are applied consistently across all operations and take account of the longer term costs and consequences of inaccuracies in processing. On efficiency, although some improvements would depend on the availability of funding for IT enhancements, considering the system in its entirety would help secure savings
Download or read book HC 892 The Effective Management of Tax Reliefs written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Committee of Public Accounts and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2015 with total page 21 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tax and tax reliefs are plainly different and require different accountability arrangements. Put simply tax is where you get money in through taxation and a tax relief is where you make a conscious decision to forgo that income. Some reliefs are structural parts of the system to ensure a more progressive system or avoid double taxation. But other reliefs, costing some £100 billion a year, are designed to deliver a policy objective that could be met instead through spending programmes. HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) do not keep track of those tax reliefs intended to influence behaviour. They do not adequately report to Parliament or the public on whether reliefs are working as intended and what they cost and whether they represent good value for money. While HMRC is accountable for implementing and monitoring all tax reliefs, its statements about the extent of its responsibilities are inconsistent with its actual practices. HMRC accepts it has a role to assess, evaluate and monitor reliefs, but is unable or unwilling to define or to categorise reliefs by their purpose. While HMRC accepts the need for reporting the costs of tax reliefs, it does not see the merit in assessing the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of reliefs, or considering their cost effectiveness alongside that of alternative policy instruments such as spending programmes. HMRC does not generally assess the effectiveness of reliefs with specific objectives although in a few instances it does consider their impact on taxpayer behaviour. HMRC's failure to articulate a set of principles to guide its management and reporting of tax reliefs is a serious omission which it now needs to rectify.
Download or read book Budget 2011 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Treasury Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2011-04-09 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The report looks at the way the Office for Budget Responsibility has functioned in this, the first Budget since it was permanently established. It raises concerns about the timetable for the economic forecast, noting: the timetable agreed for this forecast and Budget required all decisions which would impact on the economic forecast to be made at least a fortnight before Budget day. It recommended that the timetable should be revisited to provide more flexibility enabling economic shocks and late political decisions to be accommodated. The Committee looked at the economy, public finances, the plan for growth, taxation and the Office for Budget Responsibility. It continues to press for a full review of the OBR including its powers, remit and relationship to Parliament. Also calling for gradual reform of the tax regime and noting the Government's decision to increase the supplementary rate of corporation tax on the oil and gas industry by 12 percentage points in the Budget - less than a year after promising to provide a stable tax regime in the sector -might weaken the Government's credibility in seeking to establish a stable tax regime. The Committee was pleased with the further reduction in corporation tax announced in the Budget as this was a positive measure aimed at boosting growth. With regard to Enterprise Zones it may have some effect in reviving particular areas, but it was noted that almost all the evidence received is unsure about the extent to which they will contribute to UK growth. It is clear that there is still much to be done on the details of this policy.
Download or read book Administration and expenditure of the Chancellor s departments 2008 09 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Treasury Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010-03-09 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Chancellor's departments faced extraordinary challenges during 2008-09, mainly arising from the need to respond to the emerging financial crisis and associated economic downturn. The report concludes that it is very difficult to draw final conclusions regarding their level of success - too much remains unfinished business. It draws attention, in particular, to the new relationship between the Treasury and UKFI, and recommends that the Government considers whether the formal terms of the relationship need some re-definition in the light of experience. The report is particularly concerned by the dire results for HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) of a cross-Government staff survey pilot study. The Report calls for HMRC management to publish a clear and detailed plan to provide focus and direction to their efforts to re-engage with their workforce. Noting a rise in customer complaints and that, on average, only 57 per cent of calls to HMRC contact centres were answered during 2008-09. HMRC should publish more data to enable effective scrutiny of its performance against its targets, data which is essential for tax gaps to be closed and for the take up of the working tax credit to be assessed and improved. The Report is critical of the failure of most departments to provide accurate and timely monthly in-year figures to the Treasury. Other sections of the report cover National Savings & Investment, the revaluation of UK statutory ports and the performance of the Royal Mint.
Download or read book Tax Administration 2021 Comparative Information on OECD and other Advanced and Emerging Economies written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2021-09-15 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report is the ninth edition of the OECD's Tax Administration Series. It provides internationally comparative data on aspects of tax systems and their administration in 59 advanced and emerging economies.
Download or read book Dimensions of Tax Design written by James A. Mirrlees and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-04-29 with total page 1360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Review was chaired by Nobel Laureate Professor Sir James Mirrlees of the University of Cambridge and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. --
Download or read book The Administration of Tax Credits written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Treasury Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2006-06-06 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The new tax credits (the child tax credit and the working tax credit) were introduced in April 2003. Government statistics indicate that 6 million families and 10 million children benefit from the receipt of these credits. In 2003-04 period about one-third of all tax credits awards, 1.9 million, were overpaid, at a cost of nearly £2 billion. This report by the Treasury Committee examines the reasons for the high level of overpayments. The Committee acknowledges recent research which suggests that the tax credits regime is designed to deliver the correct amount of state assistance over the year as a whole, rather than over a shorter period, and that payments should perhaps be aligned more with the financial needs of families who budget over shorter periods. The Committee states that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) need to develop a detailed understanding of the factors that have led to overpayment, such as how much official errors and IT system errors have caused or contributed to overpayments. The report also considers the incidence of fraud, error on the part of claimants and organised crime. The Committee also feels that the administration of the tax credits regime has been based around individual functions or tasks, rather than centred around the needs of the claimants and that the HMRC needs to institute a claimant-centred approach to the administration of tax credits
Download or read book H M Revenue and Customs Departmental Autumn Performance Report 2009 written by Great Britain. HM Revenue & Customs and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2009 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: HMRC is the UK's tax administration, responsible for administering income tax, corporation tax, VAT, National Insurance contributions, excise dutes, environmental taxes, insurance premium tax, capital gains tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty. It is also responsible for the payment of tax credits, child benefit and child trust fund endowments. Some of the achievements recorded for the first part of 2009-10 include: collection of over £209 billion in revenue; delivery of the biggest change to PAYE system in 20 years with the launch of the new PAYE Service and Work Management System (MPPC); delivery of the largest learning intervention in the UK this year with that new service; delivered 14 full or partial vacations of HMRC locations resulting in savings of £6.8 million; achieving platinum status in the Business in the Community Corporate Responsibility Index and the launching of the Health in Pregnancy Grant
Download or read book Tax By Design written by Stuart Adam and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011-09 with total page 552 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on the findings of a commission chaired by James Mirrlees, this volume presents a coherent picture of tax reform whose aim is to identify the characteristics of a good tax system for any open developed economy, assess the extent to which the UK tax system conforms to these ideals, and recommend how it might be reformed in that direction.
Download or read book The efficiency programme in the Chancellor s departments written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Treasury Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2007-07-24 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volume one of this report was published as HCP 483-I, session 2006-07 (ISBN 9780215035332)
Download or read book Core skills at written by Great Britain: National Audit Office and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2011-12-02 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: HM Revenue and Customs will have to make sure its staff have the right skills if it is to succeed in cutting its running costs by 25 per cent by 2014-2015 and bringing in each year an extra £7 billion of tax revenue. It is estimated that HMRC spent £96 million in 2010-11 developing the skills of its staff but judges that spending is not systematically directed on top level business priorities. Staff skills will have been a factor in the improvement of HMRC's business results including the extra £1billion tax generated since 2010 by enforcement and compliance activity. But currently there is not a direct evidential link between results and training and development activities. Only 54 per cent of HMRC staff said that they were able to access the right learning and development opportunities when they needed to and only 38 per cent said that training had improved their performance. Evidence from a customer survey and external stakeholders also suggests that the Department does not have all the skills it needs, but HMRC does not have a good overview of its current skills gaps. It needs better data and information on gaps which would help it take a more strategic approach and gain an early warning of future skills gaps, such as the risk of skills depleting as experienced staff retire. This is of particular concern in HMRC as one in five staff in key business areas are over 55. HMRC also lacks governance arrangements or structures to hold the organization to account for money spent on training. Many of the points in this report were raised previously by HMRC's own reviews but the Department has not made the changes needed.
