HMRC needs to recognise that recovery is not a one-size-fits-all approach – Andrew Parkes

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Andrew Parkes, National Technical Director, comments on HMRC’s recent decision to close its Corporation Tax and VAT helplines every Friday for a month to help with the backlog of queries, in AAT Comment.

Andrew’s comments were published in AAT Comment, 8 March 2022, and can be found here.

“When it comes to public services, the UK Government has a habit of promising champagne, but will only pay for someone’s homebrew. This is shown in the service HMRC is able to give the general public. If you are a large business, you get champagne, but if you are Joe Public, then you are left with a cheap wine hangover.

HMRC delivered much needed help to many businesses as quickly as it could, and this must be celebrated. They have shown remarkable common sense when Covid-19 caused business interruptions and provided support payments to businesses much faster then expected. However, the speed did result in some people falling through cracks and the help they received could have been better.

Many good businesses have failed and some people have lost everything, whilst others are teetering on the edge. Businesses need understanding from HMRC that the recovery from Covid is not one size fits all and some good viable businesses are still really suffering, even if others have gone from strength to strength.”

 

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