Taxation logo taxation mission text

Since 1927 the leading authority on tax law, practice and administration

Computers don’t argue

24 February 2015 / Mike Truman
Issue: 4490 / Categories: Comment & Analysis , Admin , Online , Self assessment
truman_edit_3

HMRC’s increased reliance on digital

KEY POINTS

  • Letter sent from Bootle P14 compliance team chased an enquiry letter that had never been sent.
  • Failure of HMRC to understand the reaction that clients and agents can have to letters.
  • Why isn’t better use made of computerisation to personalise the letters sent out?
  • On what basis does HMRC make some of the assumptions that it does about acceptance of their figures and taking reasonable care?

Fifty years ago Gordon R Dickinson wrote a science fiction short story with the title that I have borrowed for this article.

It is in the form of correspondence starting with a letter from a Walter A Child about a copy of Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson sent to him by a book club when he had not ordered it.

He...

If you or your firm subscribes to Taxation.co.uk, please click the login box below:

If you are not a subscriber but are a registered user or have a free trial, please enter your details in the following boxes:

Alternatively, you can register free of charge to read a limited amount of subscriber content per month.
Once you have registered, you will receive an email directing you back to read this item in full.

Please reach out to customer services at +44 (0) 330 161 1234 or 'customer.services@lexisnexis.co.uk' for further assistance.

back to top icon