'Working Together - introduction’
People in business want to run their businesses without being burdened by
daily, weekly or monthly tax issues. How can we help?
In April 2000 CIOT, ICAEW and the then Inland
Revenue, together launched an important initiative intended to
strengthen local liaison between practitioners and Revenue officers
and improve the operation of the tax and NIC system. During the
following year representatives of ATT, ACCA, ICAS, AAT and CCAB in
Northern Ireland joined the Group. Following the merger of Inland
Revenue and Customs and Excise to form Her Majesty's Revenue and
Customs (HMRC) in April 2005, the initiative became a permanent and
effective part of HMRC’s core business and is recognised as one of
the major key stakeholders in HMRC.
Working Together builds upon established links
providing fast track mechanisms for identification, and wherever
possible anticipation, of the sorts of national problems and issues
which typically become visible first at local level. This is done by
holding regular Local Working Together Group meetings between local
HMRC officers and supported by the National Working Together Team
and local Tax Practitioners, at various locations around the UK.
Key objectives of the scheme are to improve two
way communications, support HMRC's efforts to become an enabling
organisation, which is more responsive to its customers' needs, and
provide greater transparency around the actions it takes to resolve
issues identified in this way.
The Working Together Steering Group, which
comprises representatives of HMRC and the professional bodies, meets
on a quarterly basis to provide strategic direction and to monitor
and review progress.
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