Fri 25-Sep-09 11:15 AM by shawn

(Edited to shorten link)

Morning everyone

Shawn has just posted in the news section a link to our latest article outlining the new dispute and complaints team that has been set up for intermediaries in Tax Credit Office. (Revenue establishes new team to deal with tax credit dispute and complaint letters)

The process sounds good in theory, and we hope this will translate into practice as well.

We will be gathering information about how the team is working and feeding it back to HMRC. So, if anyone has any comments on the new process or it isn't working as it should, please do let me know and I will pass it on to HMRC.

Thanks

Victoria
(victoriatodd29@yahoo.co.uk)

I've just had my first letter from this new team. It's really rather good in comparison to the previous letter about the same issue from the regular CSSG team, which was very poor, and it covers everything we asked for.

The only worry I have is that the reply was sent to our client and copied to us. If this is standard practice then it means that client's will be getting the direct dial numbers for the team and I worry that this will eventually lead to the withdrawal of the contact numbers if the team get swamped with calls from members of the public.

That's interesting Tony.

In my past cases, where I have written, the response has always come to me and never to the claimant.

I think, although will double check with HMRC, that all dispute responses (including to directly to claimants from other CSSG teams) should carry direct dial numbers to the person making the decision.

I suppose if the letters are better in picking up and answering points raised, there may be less need for phone calls.

Victoria

Me too Tony - all letters sent to client and copies only to us. Not a problem really as it'll save our postage but i share your concerns with the telephone numbers.

The letter's we've been getting also only have the last three digits of the NI NO - now that is a pain when it's the NI NO we use to trace which adviser is dealing with that client.

Don't know why they're doing this TBH as usually all letters have the full NI NO.

Nicky

Of those cases I deal with, only about a third are ending up with this new team. The remainder are dealt with by the ordinary CSSG who are still not that good. In one example, I've been waiting two months for a reply to a complaint where:

1) the client is having an overpayment recovered becuase she "failed in her responsibilties"; and
2) the TCO are choosing to ignore thier responsibilties by refusing to process a claim until her PFA partner has a NINO. This is clearly in breach of r.5(8) TC(CN)Regs, but they insist anyway.

Talk about an unfair distribution of responsibility...