Almost 51,000 phishing emails were reported to HMRC around 2014’s tax credit season – April to July – marking a 100% rise in the number for the same period the year before, official figures show.
The scam messages frequently offered a refund from a “tax credit office agent”, or included a link to a fake version of the GOV.UK website.
Recipients were often asked to provide bank details or similarly sensitive information. Fraudsters then tried to take money from their victims’ account, or sell the people’s identities to fellow criminals.
HMRC are working with the Royal Association for Deaf people (RAD) to pilot new services for hearing-impaired taxpayers.
People who handle their own affairs but are unable to speak to the Revenue directly can contact a British sign language (BSL) interpreter via a webcam, and the interpreter will talk directly to a tax department adviser on the phone to create a three-way conversation.
HMRC want volunteers to help them test the agent online self-serve (AOSS) now that it has successfully moved to a private beta phase.
The tax department is set to launch an expanded view of employer clients PAYE accounts, which will provide a monthly breakdown of employers’ PAYE liabilities and how payments received have been allocated to each period.
Agents wishing to take part in the latest stage of testing should complete the questionnaire on the taxman’s blog.
HMRC casting net wider, warns legal expert
The long-running Littlewoods case looks set to continue, with HMRC seeking leave to appeal the latest decision in favour of the catalogue-based retailer.
The company and several similar businesses overpaid a total of £204m in VAT on mail order sales commissions between 1973 and 2004, and later received a repayment with simple interest – which sparked litigation seeking compound interest.
HMRC will spend £45m to improve their call-handling performance, the department has announced.
The funds will pay for 3,000 additional staff to join public-facing service teams, which will be further expanded by around 2,000 Revenue employees transferred from other areas to help in the run-up to the tax credits deadline on 31 July.
The department has also bought new equipment that allows calls to be switched to offices outside of contact centres, allowing more HMRC workers to answer the phone.
Bermuda angry at inclusion on tax haven blacklist
ISA rules
The Individual Savings Account (ISA) (Amendment No 4) Regulations 2015/1370 and the Child Trust Fund (CTF) (Amendment No 3) Regulations 2015/1371 have been made and will come into force on 1 July.
The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) has refreshed its drive for user-friendly tax policies, by counselling the government on the key principles for avoiding complexity.
New advice from the independent Treasury body urges ministers and civil servants to ensure each proposed tax measure meets policy aims, has careful focus and accurate design, and is maintained properly.
The Revenue has suspended its notification list of qualifying recognised overseas pension schemes (QROPS), after discovering the inclusion of schemes that do not meet the pension age test.
Tax experts applaud Revenue’s “pragmatic” PAYE approach
Intermediaries
HMRC have updated their guidance about reports intermediaries may have to send to them for agency workers if they do not operate PAYE. The report template has also been updated.
Penalty appeals
HMRC have updated their electronic appeals system to allow employers to appeal against a penalty raised for 2014/15.
Toolkits
HMRC have updated the agent toolkit for business profits and the capital v revenue expenditure toolkit for 2014/15.
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