HMRC Incompetent or Pathetic?

[plasticpig]

So the HMRC in the debacle a few months back is set to recover £2bn from joe public who got their tax affairs slightly squiffy.

HMRC have let Vodaphone off on an under payment that is estimated to be in the region of £4 Billion to £6 Billion; settling for a modest £1.2bn instead.

I fail to see why the two situations should be treated any differently. If the HMRC is willing to go after the individual for every penny it believes is due; why is not willing to do so with a FTSE 100 company?

[Manks]

plasticpig said:

So the HMRC in the debacle a few months back is set to recover £2bn from joe public who got their tax affairs slightly squiffy.

HMRC have let Vodaphone off on an under payment that is estimated to be in the region of £4 Billion to £6 Billion; settling for a modest £1.2bn instead.

I fail to see why the two situations should be treated any differently. If the HMRC is willing to go after the individual for every penny it believes is due; why is not willing to do so with a FTSE 100 company?

Because HMRC is unable to bully Vodafone.

[Parrot of Doom]

This would be a newspaper article from Guardian Media Group?



Maybe Vodafone should just up sticks and fkoff out of the UK altogether. I'm sure that'd leave the treasury better off :/

[Derek Smith]

Parrot of Doom said:

Maybe Vodafone should just up sticks and fkoff out of the UK altogether. I'm sure that'd leave the treasury better off :/

As opposed to leaving who better off?

The logic would appear to be that the law does not apply to those who have the power and authority to threaten the government. However, those who make honest mistakes (remember honest?) are treated as criminals.

Seems reasonable to me.

Didn't Vodphone give money to some party or other?

[Neil H]

It's a little galling to read about Vodafone but the bottom line is; we need companies in this country to flourish, otherwise we're all screwed. No companies, no jobs, no tax from anywhere.