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HMRC must take steps to counter the threat of experienced staff being lost to the private sector, the new president of the Association of Revenue and Customs (ARC) has said.
Revenue veteran Terry Cook, who will serve a two-year term, has also called for increased resources to enhance the department's counter-tax evasion work.
He said that the members of ARC — the section of the FDA trade union (formerly the First Division Association) that represents Revenue staff members — expect HMRC to 'invest in improving their training and development, their working environment and their terms and conditions of service, including providing a fair pay award in 2008.
'A failure to deliver on pay could have a significant impact on morale and lead to the loss of highly experienced staff to the private sector. Ultimately, this could negatively impact on the tax yield and would amount to a false economy,' warned Mr Cook, who joined HMRC in 1981 and has since help a wide range of posts within the department.
Mr Cook's remarks follow the Government's insistence last week that it will continue with a programme of redundancies at HMRC, despite many protests. Also last week, the Revenue sparked anger after committing to the latest part of its Regional Review Programme that some claimed would result in up to 95 regional offices being closed around the UK.
Mr Cook then addressed the need for greater input in the fight against tax evasion. He argued that there is 'a strong case for increased resources for HMRC to counter tax evasion and avoidance in all its forms'.
He continued: 'ARC is keen to work with senior managers to restore the reputation of HMRC, following the data loss in November last year, and to fulfil the challenging compliance, customer service and financial objectives that we have been given by ministers'.
