This is from the Channel 4 web site, and yes, I am the Mr Murphy in question:
Following the outcry over the PAC's report, Mr Murphy thinks there needs to be a shift in attitude at HMRC: "The only way to change this culture is to change the board of directors and include more people who know about tax and are not connected to big business."
Mr Murphy's suggestion as to how to tackle tax avoidance and evasion was echoed by Graham Black, president of the Association of Revenue and Customs, the union representing senior HMRC professionals. He said: "The problem is not that tax inspectors are 'too cosy' with large business - it is that there are not enough tax professionals in the department to tackle the scale of the tax being lost.
Mr Black added: "Senior staff strive constantly to treat all taxpayers fairly, but resources are too stretched to battle the major companies advised by an army of expensive advisers.
"The attacks on HMRC officials have at times been overly aggressive, these are public servants carrying out important and difficult jobs. The real problem has been with successive governments cutting the country's only money-generating department."
Quite so.
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going back to a previous point, i wonder whether the tax rules are too complex at the moment – simplifying the code could enable inspectors to review more returns? just a thought
I am working on that for next year
The problem is obviously not so much a too “cosy relationship” between HMRC and the large companies, but too “cosy” a relationship between HMG/ELECTED and large companies.
Politicians are dependent on business for their campaign funding. When they get in, they’re effectively owned by those same businesses and will act in their favour rather than the electorate’s. Politics will never work for the electorate, therefore.