For many years we have been concerned about the administration of the tax system in the UK, and have been liaising with campaigners from other countries who have similar issues which we have identified in the UK.
We want fairness and rule of law principles to be applied when HMRC assesses and administers alleged tax debts, particularly those of self-employed, small business people.
Our partner in Australia, Self-Employed Australia, has spent many years on this issue, due to similar problems they see with the Australian Tax Office (ATO). SEA have found a template ‘solution’ based on how USA law requires tax administration fairness from the IRS.
The UK also has very similar problems with its tax administrator (HMRC) abusing self-employed people. We have a long-standing campaigning partnership with SEA, who, like us, campaigns for tax administration fairness. The UK problem is so severe that an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), with some 250 UK MPs are interested in seeking a solution.
On 21 February 2023, we gave a joint presentation to the Taxpayer Fairness Group’s senior parliamentary members. We offered them a vision of a solution based on the USA model which is being recommended for Australia.
Three presentations followed by Q&A (YouTube videos below).
We provided the UK parliamentary group with:
Tax law administration must be subject to transparency, accountability and checks and balances so that the rule of (tax) law applies in a practical way. That is not the case it seems, in either Australia or the UK.
We are campaigning to secure that rule of law. The US model offers a practical template for reform.
