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SIR – I am a self-employed consultant and my time is my income. I have the problem of holding two so-called unique taxpayer reference numbers with HMRC.
As my tax has been assessed on one and paid on the other, I receive weekly messages from HMRC to pay my outstanding tax bill. Despite multiple phone calls, I still have not resolved the problem. Last Friday afternoon, I had yet another letter of demand and I tried, yet again, to call HMRC to explain, but now it says it is too busy to accept a call.
I would like to know whether our tax service has been reduced to a four-day working week.
Charlie Clarke
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
SIR – I received a cheque as my late brother had overpaid tax. When I tried to bank this, it was returned as HMRC had cancelled it.
I phoned HMRC (40-minute hold) and was told there was an error and the cheque would be reissued. Some time later I called again (30-minute hold) and was told someone was reading my notes. After I was left on hold for 10 minutes more in silence, the call was cut off.
I finally called again (45-minute hold). I was told that I would need to write in and make a complaint, which I did. I’m still due a reply.
Norma Frier
Buckley, Flintshire
SIR – When I received the first three letters from HMRC – each identical except for the date, telling me that I owed £483.80 – I smiled indulgently. Seven weeks later, I have received 30 letters, each with a Netherlands postmark and accompanied by two sets of explanatory notes.
I know I should respond but my last letter, over a year ago, is still waiting for a reply. Perhaps the letters will simply stop when HMRC has spent the amount I owe on paper and postage.
Brian Walters
Auvernier, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
SIR – The inability of HMRC to cope with inquiries is not just symptomatic of inefficiency; it also proves that our tax system is too complex. The solution to both problems is a massive simplification of tax.
Will Simmonds
Hook Norton, Oxfordshire
SIR – While it may be an admirable British trait to wait patiently in a queue, if one could otherwise be doing something useful or productive it is an abhorrent waste of time. In this respect, most government departments such as HMRC treat their callers with contempt.
Our local water company has a brilliant system called automatic customer call-back, which means that you do not have to sit for hours on the phone. The system calls you back automatically as soon as you reach the front of the queue. It should be made mandatory for other companies.
Malcolm Bailey
Radlett, Hertfordshire
Cancer support
SIR – We can all show our love and support for the Princess of Wales and indeed the King by making a donation to the many cancer charities that seek to find a cure.
The online trolls and celebrities should be ashamed of themselves for the ridiculous and hurtful comments many have made without an ounce of knowledge.
I write as a supporter of my husband who has had this disease for over three years, and who has received excellent treatment from the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Margaret Whittaker
Longframlington, Northumberland
A Nato defence plan
SIR – Listening to our politicians discussing defence spending, one has heard very little mention of Nato, which is the foundation on which the defence of western Europe is built.
During the Cold War, the 12 original Nato countries assigned forces to a unified command, with which the Nato planning staffs, under the command of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), made their plans to defend western Europe against an attack by the Warsaw Pact countries. If the planners felt that they had insufficient forces available to meet the threat, member nations were asked to assign more, until a viable defence could be planned and practised. This, combined with the nuclear deterrent, enabled us to win the Cold War without a shot being fired.
After the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, much of the Nato Command Structure was closed down and Nato operated on an ad-hoc basis. If, as many believe, Russia’s attack on Ukraine marks the start of a second Cold War and Nato is, once again, to be the foundation on which the defence of its now 32 countries is built, is it not time to re-establish a viable unified command structure?
To make an overall plan, each Nato country must provide commanders and staff officers to the new HQs and assign their fair share of forces to Nato.
Apart from the military advantages of a unified command structure, this course has two political advantages. First, if the SACEUR, who is a US general, tells the president of the US that he has a viable plan for the defence of western Europe, in which each Nato country is playing its part, the president would be highly unlikely to withdraw his support. Secondly, if any member, including the US, decided to leave the Nato Command Structure, the plan could be adjusted without losing credibility.
Only when the cost of our commitment to Nato is added to our other worldwide commitments can the percentage of GDP required for defence be established.
Colonel Dion Beard (retd)
Sunningdale, Berkshire
Nike’s own goal
SIR – Surely the resolution to the debate surrounding the latest design for the England kit is simple: return the St George’s Cross to its traditional red, and instead apply the “playful update” to the Nike logo on the front of the shirt.
Not only will this reimagining be more visible to all, but it will also test whether Nike feels more comfortable messing around with the flags of countries over its own brand identity.
Barry Gray
Bournemouth, Dorset
SIR – Perhaps the counterfeiting companies making knockoff England shirts will do a better job of the St George’s Cross than Nike has.
Michael Fraser
Ipswich, Suffolk
Lawless Britain
SIR – Last Friday in Brighton at a local Tesco store, I witnessed a man carrying two four-packs of lager being challenged by a security guard. The latter was abused and a scuffle ensued, leaving six cans on the floor and two clenched by the man, who swiftly exited the store.
What is our country coming to? Neither major party has any plan to deal with increasing lawlessness and worse still neither cares about it. This would not be tolerated in Singapore and neither should it be tolerated here. Our politicians need to get a grip.
The Rev Duncan Lloyd-James
Brighton, East Sussex
Picturesque pylons
SIR – Christopher Barmby writes: “Surely there could be a competition for the design of more attractive pylons that are acceptable to all” (Letters, March 23).
In 2014, a consortium of the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the National Grid ran exactly this, resulting in over 250 designs being submitted and featured at the London Design Festival. My company built the website for the competition. The results can still be located online.
Noel Moriarty
Wetherby, West Yorkshire
Society’s equals
SIR – I have read with interest the recent letters (March 23) regarding the Garrick Club, and the fact that women are not allowed to be members. My great grandfather, Sir Frank Crisp, was vice president of the Linnean Society on Piccadilly between 1881 and 1906, and he successfully advocated for the admission of women to the Linnean Society in 1905.
His wife, Catherine Crisp, was the first woman admitted to the society, and the ceremony was recorded by an artist, James Sant, commissioned by Sir Frank. When the painting was first unveiled, however, a couple who had fought against the admission of women to the society were depicted in the front right. Sir Frank, for obvious reasons, was not happy about this, and therefore simply had the artist paint over them, and replace them with a large, red chair.
The updated painting still hangs proudly at the Linnean Society above the main staircase, and is a reminder that Sir Frank Crisp was a man truly ahead of his time.
Catherine Kidson
Bradfield, Berkshire
A European masterclass in modern motoring
SIR – I have just returned from five days staying on the outskirts of Paris. This included forays into the heart of the city, as well as a 200-mile round trip to Le Havre.
Incredibly, in all that time I did not spot a single pothole, either within the urban sprawl or on the long journey west. Even more incredible was the lack of discarded rubbish on the pavements, which were pristine, as were the road surfaces.
As an engineer, I could only admire the numerous road tunnels, which were all well lit and signposted, and as a farmer, I appreciated the beautifully groomed fields on either side of the road to Normandy.
I now realise what a terrible mistake I made in voting for Brexit. Europe is leaving us behind and we are now just a sad remnant of a once-great Britain. Our politicians should bow their heads in shame.
Duncan Ferguson
Castle Douglas, Dumfriesshire
The Government has bungled state pensions
SIR – Daniel Hannan (Comment, March 24) says that there is no money left for state pensions.
Then why has the Government cut the very tax that supposedly exists to pay for them?
Jonathan Barker
Rochdale, Lancashire
SIR – I keep reading that the state pension is unaffordable, despite the fact that many recipients of it pay tax on this pension, thereby returning a chunk of what they have been “given” to HMRC.
What I do not understand is why the state pension is so much higher in many other countries, yet it seems to remain affordable in those countries. Can someone explain why this is the case?
Brian Barbour
Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland
SIR – The article by Tim Wallace (report, March 14) highlights the problem that has arisen because of a freezing of Personal Allowances. The reduction of NI contributions is also of no benefit to the retired who do not pay that tax anyway.
However, no attention has been focused on the fact that retired members of defined benefit pension schemes have their annual pension increases capped at 2.5 per cent, despite inflation well exceeding this level. As a consequence, those who worked in sound companies throughout their lives are now appreciably worse off, even without the impact of tax increases.
Perhaps the Government no longer considers pensioners a worthwhile cohort for their support.
Keith Hollender
London NW6
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Letters: The almighty struggle to resolve a tax problem via the HMRC helpline
Plus; A culture of lawlessness; supporting cancer charities; bungled state pensions; the sorry state of our roads; and prettier pylons