HMRC to have power to open your mail at sorting office

[Busa_Rush]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politic...

"Officers will be allowed to intercept any suspicious mail anywhere in the country and open it before it is delivered, under plans being drawn up by the Government to amend the Postal Services Act.

The measure is billed as a bid to crack down on tobacco smuggling. However, a HM Revenue and Customs spokesman said the powers could be applied much more widely."


"Treasury documents say: “HMRC will no longer be required to notify the addressee and invite them to attend before such packets can be opened”."

This plus being asked to spy and report on your neighbours . . . am I living in the UK in 2010 or in East Berlin in the early 80's ?

[Asterix]

I was going to say it's the thin end of the wedge but it's not - we're close to the thick end now...

[Eric Mc]

HMRC have been acquiring new powers hand-over-fist since the merger of the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise. Since the TReasury effectively runs the UK (thank you Mrs T), we are entering a new era of fiscal dictatorship.

[JMGS4]

AFAIK HMCustoms have been able to open any mail at any time anyway.. so are the meaning now for GB internal mail?

[Eric Mc]

JMGS4 said:

AFAIK HMCustoms have been able to open any mail at any time anyway.. so are the meaning now for GB internal mail?

Part of the reason the Treasury merged the two bodies was so that the powers already possessed by Customs and Excise would gradually transfer to the Inland Revenue.

[Digga]

HMRC's powers are draconian and very dangerous when combined with their guitly until proven innocent approach.

In one respect, you can see why it needs to be able to dig deep and fast into private or company finances - this is the only way frauds can be detected - and that [i[any[/i] investigation has to be a thorough, top-to-bottom sweep of the target, whether it be a random search or one instigated on other information - anomalies in tax returns or tip-offs. We're all (generally) pleased when crooks and gangsters scamming VAT and N.I. and whatever else are caught and have their (usually nasty) bling taken away and this is the price we pay to ensure such cases are prosecuted.

However, having spent nearly 18 months, from late 2008, having on of my company's 2006 accounts scrutinised - we were found to owe an extra £400 (wow) due mainly to certain expenduture not being correctly capitalised - I can also appreciate the other side. That the size and scope of such investigations can break many company owers psycholocigally and even bankrupt totally innocent firms due to cost of administration (company management time) and accountancy. We were fortunate in having insured for such an eventuality - because owning two companies, you are likely to get some sort of investigation, on average, at least once every 3 years - but otherwise could, during the depths of the credit crunch, have been dealt a fairly deadly blow.

[Monki]

I wonder if this could be used to stop certain postal votes making it to their destination :silly I do not doubt for a minute that Winky & Co. would do something like that

[ofcorsa]

Well at least if they do it at the sorting office they will be beating the theiving postmen to it.

[tangent police]

It's all got a limited time until the whole lot is centralised, regulated and administered from Brussels.

I'm wondering how invasive the EURC will be.

[7mike]

I wonder how many of the benefits class would still vote labour if they knew that plans were being made to cut off their supply of cheap fags?

[cazzer]

Pointless way of buying fags, hardly anyone uses it.
Book flight to random hot place on Chavjet.
Fly, land, taxi to nearest fag shop, fill two suitcases, fly back.

Done and legal.



(As long as they're all for you obviously).