You may remember that we Sponsored Lucas Martin, a student at Manchester University, on trek up Mount Kilimanjaro Africa’s highest peak in Tanzania. We are pleased to report that he successfully reached the summit and returned back safely.  Well done Lucas, for not only for conquering the mountain but also for the work he did with ChildReach whilst in Tanzania. We are glad to have been a part of this and hope that this has enriched both Lucas and the children he was able to work with during his time there. We look forward to being able to publish Lucas’ experience in his own words in our follow up post soon.

In the meantime if you are able to boost his sponsorship fund just a little more you can do through the link Donate

You may be wondering what we accountants have to do with Kilimanjaro the highest mountain in Africa. The answer is Lucas Martin. Lucas approached the practice with the intention of helping him with sponsorship and also to provide him with sponsorship tee shirts and a flag to carry with him to the top of the mountain.

Lucas who is an ex Runshaw College student went on to study Geography at Manchester University and he got involved with the RAG group who were highlighting various fundraising and volunteering activities. Lucas liked the idea of a trek planned by Childreach which wasn’t just an ordinary trek but one to scale Kilimanjaro at a height of 5895m. Lucas flies to Tanzania on 13^th June 2016.

To explain why we supported Lucas is best done by understanding why Lucas chose to undertake this challenge. It was the nature of the cause that providing education for children less fortunate. Lucas said “I thought it was a good cause with regards to The support of children because education should be a basic right for all regardless of the economic standing”.

Lucas will spend three days in a local school working with the children and then in his challenge to climb Africa’s highest mountain. You can still show your support for Lucas by donating on my https://donate.BT.com/fundraisers/lucasmartin.

Please support Childreach through Lucas by donation or sharing this post.

David Richardson

According to a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) the quality of service at HMRC ‘collapsed’ over an 18 month period between 2014 and 2015.

The report found that average call waiting times tripled in 2014/15 and in the first seven months of 2015/16. Call waiting times for self assessment tax returns peaked at 47 minutes last autumn, which resulted in HMRC having to bring in 2,400 extra staff for their tax helpline.

Using HMRC’s own criteria, the NAO valued people’s time at an average of £17 an hour, and, as a result, calculated that callers would have wasted a total of £66 million while waiting on the phone, £21 million while actually talking to HMRC and £10 million on the cost of the call itself.

The NAO report blames the poor performance on HMRC’s decision to cut 11,000 staff between 2010 and 2014 in the move to persuade more people to complete their tax returns online. The report claims that HMRC ‘misjudged the cumulative impact of its complex transition and released too many customer service staff before completing service changes’.

In other words, it greatly underestimated how many call centre staff would still be required to help taxpayers with self assessment queries.

Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said:

‘HMRC’s overall strategy of using digitally enabled information to improve efficiency and deliver service in new ways make sense to the NAO. This does not change the fact that they got their timing badly wrong in 2014, letting significant numbers of call handling staff go before their new approach was working reliably.

This led to a collapse in service quality and forced a rapid expansion of headcount. HMRC needs to move forward carefully and get their strategy back on track while maintaining, and hopefully improving, service standards.’

HMRC said its service levels had improved since the period analysed in the NAO report, and that, over the last six months, call waiting times had averaged six minutes.

Ruth Owen, HMRC’s director general for customer services, said:

‘We recognise that early in 2015 we didn’t provide the standard of service that people are entitled to expect and we apologised at the time. We have since fully recovered and are now offering our best service levels in years.’

Internet links: NAO press release HMRC news

HMRC have updated their guidance to taxpayers on how to spot phishing scam emails.

Phishing is the fraudulent act of emailing a person in order to obtain their personal/financial information such as passwords and credit card or bank account details. These emails often include a link to a bogus website designed to encourage the unwary to enter their personal details.

The HMRC guidance is designed to help taxpayers to recognise genuine contact from HMRC, and how to tell when an email/text message is phishing/bogus.

Internet link: HMRC guidance

HMRC are urging people to renew their tax credits claim well before the 31 July deadline.

HMRC have made improvements to the online renewal service and recommend claimants renew their claim online once they receive their renewal pack which is issued between April and June. The online service can now accommodate all changes in circumstances (working hours, childcare costs or income) which affect the amount of someone’s entitlement.

Nick Lodge, HMRC’s Director General, Benefits and Credits, said:

‘Our online service means that you can renew at any time of the day or night, and on any device, without having to call us. Online help can also answer most queries you may have and a web chat facility will be available to support people renewing online. We urge everyone who can to go online.

Our customers should check their details and renew early to ensure they get the right money. The sooner people renew their claim, the sooner we can check payments are correct, meaning we avoid paying too little money, or too much, which claimants then have to pay back.‘

This year, claimants renewing online will be able to access further information, including viewing their next payment, through their own online Personal Tax Account.

Internet link: Press release