Working from home, but not working at all
SIR – About 10 weeks ago, my Germanborn wife sent off tax forms that she needed to have stamped by HM Revenue and Customs for the German tax authorities.
Her online HMRC account showed receipt of the forms and an anticipated action date of July 14, four weeks after HMRC received the documents.
On July 17, when nothing had been heard, I rang HMRC, which took 37 minutes to answer. The staff member – working from home on a very poor line – explained that they had the forms but, due to Covid, they would not be dealt with until August 18.
My request for the matter to be expedited so that my wife could meet the German tax office deadline and escape penalties met with indifference.
On August 7 we rang HMRC again. After a 22-minute wait, we spoke again to a home worker. He explained that his computer wasn’t functioning and transferred us to a colleague; the process took a considerable amount of time. The colleague’s computer was not working properly either, but hearing my frustration he transferred us yet again to another colleague.
By this time I had been on the telephone for over 40 minutes. The third colleague was more helpful. He told us that our papers were with the technical department and were due for action by September 8. He could not raise the technical department, but said it would call me back within three days. It did not.
We then sent off a formal complaint to HMRC, which promised us an answer within 15 working days. None came. We complained again and received the same response – another wait of 15 working days.
My wife has now sent the German tax office copies and transcripts of the correspondence and telephone calls with HMRC in the hope that she does not receive an unwarranted bill for non-compliance.
We are both in our seventies and have found this experience exhausting, worrisome and totally out of order. Not only has HMRC been unhelpful, but at times obstructive and uncaring.
Has the entire public sector stopped functioning? Are the appropriate ministers aware of this debacle?
David Fullard
Broughton, Lincolnshire