HMRC - Accessing Your Bank
Discussion
The consultation document if people are interested https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa...
Eric Mc said:
I am pretty sure that the new regulations will not give them powers to access your bank without you first giving them your bank details.
Agreed, but politics these days is softly softly catchy monkey. This will be the thin end of the wedge; it's going to be easier for the legislation to be modified over time than introduce a screamer at outset. The end result will be a goal via a tap in and not a 30 yard volley. But the end result will still be the same, HMRC will become ever more intrusive, pervasive and autocratic as we pay for decades of state financial mismanagement. I have been a member of the Conservative party all my adult life but, if Cameron goes through with this, I will cancel my membership and never vote Tory again. It totally flies in the face of the notion central to Tory ideology that the state is the servant of the electorate, not the other way round
ClaphamGT3 said:
I have been a member of the Conservative party all my adult life but, if Cameron goes through with this, I will cancel my membership and never vote Tory again. It totally flies in the face of the notion central to Tory ideology that the state is the servant of the electorate, not the other way round
Well he's going ahead with it. He's even defended it by saying if such measures are not introduced then taxes will need to go up. 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2624775/Ta...
Our practice has always given over the minimum amount of personal information possible on behalf of our clients due to HMRC's lack of data protection. It'll be interesting to see how this pans out. With HMRC's complete lack of internal controls over CIS refunds and general (lack of) communication between departments, I could see this having serious consequences on people's lives if this goes wrong.
ClaphamGT3 said:
I have been a member of the Conservative party all my adult life but, if Cameron goes through with this, I will cancel my membership and never vote Tory again. It totally flies in the face of the notion central to Tory ideology that the state is the servant of the electorate, not the other way round
Apalling isn't it? I cancelled my membership over the planning laws that have led to unlimited development on green belt land where I grew up - this is another un-Conservative measure. All my dealings with HMRC have been from them messing up - they are the last organisation that should be allowed to access bank accounts. bigtime said:
Surely if you pay your taxes on time you have nothing to worry about?
This seems to have no bearing on whether HMRC think you pay your taxes on time. The public sector tends to be home to by far the most incompetent organisations - I would rather they did not have any more powers, and certainly no power to randomly raid bank accounts.
bigtime said:
Surely if you pay your taxes on time you have nothing to worry about?
I'm afraid not. HMRC are to put it bluntly, grossly incompetent. Senior positions are now often staffed by young inexperienced fools, departments do not under any circumstances talk to each other, post is opened when they feel like it etc etc etc. The 2013 HMRC staff survey makes interesting reading:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa...
bigtime said:
Surely if you pay your taxes on time you have nothing to worry about?
You might not go shoplifting, but that doesn't mean you're happy with the idea of police being able to search anywhere without a warrant. I would trust HMRC about as far as I could chuck a chimney by its smoke.bigtime said:
Surely if you pay your taxes on time you have nothing to worry about?
If a tax liability is in dispute (which is not unusual), it may not be clear what the actual tax amount due is. Is HMRC going to take what they FEEL is the correct amount out of somebody's bank even when the liability hasn't been properly determined?Eric Mc said:
bigtime said:
Surely if you pay your taxes on time you have nothing to worry about?
If a tax liability is in dispute (which is not unusual), it may not be clear what the actual tax amount due is. Is HMRC going to take what they FEEL is the correct amount out of somebody's bank even when the liability hasn't been properly determined?You can change utility companies, you can't change tax collectors.
Eric Mc said:
Do you regularly give your bank account details to HMRC?
Is it advisable to continue to give them this information?
Good questions. I'm among many who pay by online banking. I presume my sort-code and account number are passed over as part of the transaction already? Is it advisable to continue to give them this information?
Hmmm... time to change account and revert to cheques?
Eric Mc said:
I am pretty sure that the new regulations will not give them powers to access your bank without you first giving them your bank details.
In the consultation document, it makes no reference to requesting the bank account details from the debtor; it makes it clear that the banks already provide such information and they will use this to confirm your bank account(s) and also plan (at this time) to take 12 months worth of statements to make their decision on if / how you can afford for them to take the money.Justification based upon other countries doing it does not make it right for this country and that seems to be the cornerstone of their justification.
EskimoArapaho said:
Eric Mc said:
Do you regularly give your bank account details to HMRC?
Is it advisable to continue to give them this information?
Good questions. I'm among many who pay by online banking. I presume my sort-code and account number are passed over as part of the transaction already? Is it advisable to continue to give them this information?
Hmmm... time to change account and revert to cheques?
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