A PERSONAL APOLOGY FROM THE TAXMAN COSTS US MILLIONS
December 3, 2007 11:39 AM
Following the monumental Governmental administrative error whereby the details of 25 million Child Benefit cases were 'lost,' families across North Devon will be receiving a letter of personal apology from Dave Hartnett, Acting Chairman of HM Revenue & Customs.
Nick Harvey, MP FOR North Devon, says: 'At a cost of millions the tax office is having to write to every single family registered for Child Benefit. This apology is long winded and does little to undo the damage already done.'
Mr Harnett states: 'I am writing to make a personal apology. A copy of some HM Revenue & Customs data about families, including yours, who have received Child Benefit has been lost. The copy of the data is likely to be still on Government property. The police are now conducting a search, and there is no evidence that it is in the possession of anyone else. This will not affect your Child Benefit payments. …
'I would like to offer my personal apologies for any worry or concern this data loss may cause you. And I can assure you that all efforts are being made to ensure that such a loss can never happen again.'
'To be blunt,' says Nick Harvey, 'a fat lot of good these reassurances are when the data includes intimate family details, including those of your children, National Insurance numbers and bank or building society details.
'With ID theft and banking frauds a major problem, I and my colleagues will be demanding Government guarantees that this does not happen again and that sensitive school and health records are secure.'
Further Information:
At a conservative estimated the cost of this standard letter to the taxpayer is likely to be around £3 million.
The banks hoping to avoid a stampede of customers seeking to change their bank accounts have advised people that this will not be necessary. HMRC claim that the banks and building societies are alert to the possible risks that customers have been exposed to and have been assured that banking safeguards are in place.
Anyone experiencing difficulties are urged to contact the HMRC helpline on 0845 302 14444.
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