News > August 2009

Taxman ‘fined’ by Swansea Accountants

Swansea-based chartered accountants H W Vaughan have successfully billed HM Revenue and Customs £500 after the government department took seven months to sort out a refund for a client who was struggling in the recession.

The company concerned was due a tax rebate of £15,000 after slipping into the red, and the relevant forms were completed last December, but H W Vaughan then faced a series of delays in trying to secure the money, as the query was passed between different HMRC employees and paperwork went missing on several occasions.

The client finally received the rebate last month, but not before H W Vaughan had paid for numerous additional letters and phone calls, not to mention its own staff’s time.

H W Vaughan partner Russell Halliday demanded a further £500 to cover the costs arising from the delay – and HMRC agreed to pay up.

Mr Halliday said: “We kept being passed around departments, everyone was blaming everyone else, and some paperwork had to be sent three times – there’s simply no excuse for that kind of delay.

“This was one of the worst cases I’ve come across with HMRC but unfortunately they do seem to be really struggling on a regular basis as they just do not have enough technical staff to deal with any problems that arise.

“I was pleased to secure the refund as that paid our costs and meant neither us nor the client was left out of pocket as a result of HMRC’s mistakes.”

To find out more about how we can help you, please contact us.