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HM Revenue and Customs: Improving the Processing and Collection of Tax Income Tax, Corporation Tax, Stamp Duty Land Tax and Tax Credits Second Report of ... Written Evidence (House of Commons Papers)
HM Revenue and Customs Improving the Processing and Collection of Tax Income Tax Corporation Tax Stamp Duty Land Tax and Tax Credits Second Report of Written Evidence - House of Commons Papers Author:Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Committee of Public Accounts In 2008-09, total taxes and duties collected and receivable were GBP 436 billion, some GBP 22 billion lower than in 2007-08. The GBP 436 billion included GBP 28 billion in tax debtors. The Department has made a provision for bad and doubtful debts of GBP 11.2 billion, 40 per cent of the total, and GBP 3.3 billion more than in the previous year. ... more »At a time when the public finances are under pressure, protecting tax revenues has never been more important. The recession presents a number of challenges for the Department and places the tax system under a great deal of stress. Taxpayers looking for support have been given more time to pay their tax liabilities. But while the Department is working to improve its debt recovery, its efforts are constrained by outdated systems and it has deferred plans to invest in them due to lack of funding. Better systems would help the Department improve tax recovery and reduce losses. Delays in introducing new systems have contributed to processing backlogs and have led to staff resources being diverted at critical times. The Department cannot now begin to clear the backlog of 17 million PAYE cases until its new systems are fully operational in April 2010. The absence of information on tax losses through non-compliance and avoidance makes it harder for the Department to analyze risk and to judge how to deploy its resources where they will have most beneficial impact. In 2007-08 claimant error and fraud resulted in incorrect tax credits payments of between GBP 1.58 billion and GBP 1.84 billion.« less