Providing Exceptional Solutions

Stewart Fletcher & Barrett is proud to announce that it has adopted a new strapline to take the firm forward with renewed purpose and vision. After a period of deliberation and consultation, staff have chosen to sum up the company ethos with the slogan ‘Providing exceptional solutions.’

Senior partner Paul Carvell explains: “We felt that we had evolved beyond our old strapline, and wanted to encapsulate the spirit of the Stewart Fletcher & Barrett Group in the 21st Century. So I asked the whole team to think about what it is that we do that makes us special, that sets us apart – and, after all the votes were counted, we found a clear winner.

“Providing exceptional solutions is exactly what we strive to do for every single one of our clients – we pride ourselves on going the extra mile in order to achieve outstanding results. We aim to exceed expectations by delivering personally tailored, proactive solutions, and by selecting this new strapline we hope to make this ethos clear to everybody who engages with the SF&B brand. It was decided by all of our employees, so we know that they will live and breathe it – it will show that we do what it says on the tin!”

REPORT FINDS ‘CONSIDERABLE DISSATISFACTION’ WITH HMRC

A recent report by the Treasury Committee into the administration and effectiveness of Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs has found that there is ‘considerable dissatisfaction’ among the public and tax professionals alike with the service provided by the Department – to the extent that concerns have been raised that, if the situation continues, it will severely undermine respect for the whole tax system.

The report identified three particular areas of dissatisfaction: access to advice over the telephone; responses to post; and offline alternatives to internet-based filing and guidance. It concluded that ‘there is a serious risk that if communicating with HMRC becomes too time-consuming, difficult and expensive, respect for the tax system, and with it voluntary compliance, may be undermined.’ The report also dismissed claims by the Department that these problems are primarily the result of reconciling of multiple PAYE tax years at once, as the current state of affairs has ‘been building for some years now.’

Stewart Fletcher & Barrett’s senior partner Paul Carvell commented: “While it is clear that HMRC is operating under significant pressures due to government cuts and the implementation of new legislation, at the same time businesses all over the land are struggling to deal with these issues too. There are certain levels of accuracy, efficiency and professionalism that one expects from an official government body, and unfortunately it is apparent that HMRC is letting these standards slip more frequently than in the past – as has been illustrated by the growing number of embarrassing incidents appearing in the press recently.

“As communication problems have emerged as the key factor in this report, now more than ever, anyone who has dealings with HMRC could benefit greatly from using a qualified tax agent who has the breadth of knowledge and experience required to achieve the best results when it comes to communicating with the taxman.”

To speak to a tax professional about how Stewart Fletcher & Barrett could help you in your dealings with HMRC, call us now on 02476 384171.

PAYE Tolerance Level Slashed

People who have underpaid due to PAYE errors will soon find themselves being chased up for smaller sums, as H M Revenue & Customs is to slash the current £300 ‘tolerance’ level to £50.

When it was introduced last year, the National Insurance & PAYE System (NPS) led to a huge number of errors for 2008-09 and 2009-10, which have affected an estimated 15 million people. As a consequence, HMRC agreed to write off the debts of taxpayers who owed less than £300. Now, however, this is set to change, as the taxman has announced that this sum will be reduced to £50 for the estimated 1.2 million people who underpaid tax in 2010-11.

An HMRC spokesman said: “We’ve used a tolerance since PAYE was introduced to achieve a balance between the costs of sending out tax calculations for relatively small amounts of tax with the cost of that work to the taxpayer. The six-fold increase to £300 was always intended as a temporary measure while we reconciled two years at one time. That work is now complete so it’s only right that we return the threshold to its normal level.”

Because of this, taxpayers are likely to see more and more P800 tax calculations being issued, which could be problematic for employers operating weekly or multi week payrolls who have processed a week 53, 54 or 56, as the Revenue’s new computer system does not recognise these additional weeks – and can therefore make no additional allowance for the underpayment of tax.

The announcement is also likely to hit vulnerable groups hard. For example, some pensioners on low incomes, who may have had their payments written off in the previous two years, will find they will have to pay the accrued limit. However, HMRC insists that there are schemes in place to help those who may encounter difficulties in paying – despite its decreasing leniency in such situations.

If you would like more information about how this could affect you, call one of our experts now on 02476 384171.