ARC NEWS 87, Feb-Mar 2017

“HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY WE HAVE AN AGM EVERY YEAR?” Graam Flew—6

“WE ARE A GOOD UNION AND THE DEPARTMENT RESPECTS OUR OPINION WHEN WE OFFER IT. WE BRING AUTHENTICITY TO THE TABLE”

“THE WORLD IS CHANGING, AND IT IS IMPORTANT THAT HMRC RESPONDS.” Oliver Fisher—16

arcnews Vicky Johnson—10

ISSUE 87 | FEB-MAR 2017

A FORWARD AND BACKWARD LOOK VICKY JOHNSON SEES WHERE WE ARE AND WHERE WE’VE BEEN AS WE HEAD INTO 2017

arctoday

read more online at arcunion.org.uk

EDITORIAL

Editorial

I

’m writing this at Warwick University where I am running Graduate Recruitment Centres for a week. It’s labour intensive but hugely rewarding because it’s one of the only jobs in the Department where you can complete the process yourself.

You will of course have realised I am not Julie. I am writing this because Julie has had her baby nine weeks early and is therefore on maternity leave. Julie and the baby are receiving care from their local NHS. They are both doing well and it has made me think about what we do and why we do it.

Put simply, if we did not assess and collect the tax due we would not have a civilised society and we would not have the NHS or the emergency services. We have often said we have a noble purpose and nothing could prove that more than Julie and her little boy. That and two other stories I have been told recently.

Firstly, one of my assessors has told me that earlier this year she was standing in her utility room when she heard a crash and looked up and out of her window. An Audi had landed up against her window and as she reached for the phone to dial 999 she realised that she could smell petrol and gas so she left her property and went next door. Within minutes she had police, fire and ambulance services outside her door, damping down the petrol and checking that the house was still structurally sound having been struck by a car. She realised, that night, not only was this why she paid her taxes, it was also one of the reasons she did the job she did Then I was reminded of another colleague’s story. She and her husband were discussing, as they sat in intensive care with their son, how if they were in another country they would either be bankrupt or they would not have their son. The consultant who had been listening in to their conversation interrupted and said that they would be both and that is why he was always grateful to those who worked in tax, as the tax collected paid for a civilised society and for the NHS service being provided. He did not know my colleague worked for HMRC but when she told him, he asked her to thank her colleagues. Which she did at the office meeting several weeks later, moving us to tears as she finally explained to those who were not aware, just how ill her son had been. He is now recovering well and back at work.

So as you read our latest edition of arcnews, I would like us all to wish Julie and her son well and remind ourselves that the work we do contributes to the help she is getting and all the other services this country provides.

Vicky Johnson, President arcnews@arcunion.org.uk

2

arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

FIRST

AGM & Dinner 2017 201 7

Annual General Meeting

This year’s AGM and Dinner in Manchester on Tuesday 16 May 2017 & Wednesday 17 May. For more information, the agenda and booking forms, visit the special AGM section on the arc website at arcunion.org.uk/agm2017

ARC’s new website is live. Go to arcunion.org.uk and log in using your membership number and password.

If you haven’t been sent one or can’t find it, simply email registration@arcunion.org.uk with your name and membership number and we’ll send you a reminder.

arcunion.org.uk

arcnews

is published by the Association of Revenue and Customs (ARC) 8 Leake Street London SE1 7NN www.arcunion.org.uk President:

Vicky Johnson, 020 7401 5559 President’s Secretary:

020 7401 5573

arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

Membership:

020 7401 5590 membership@fda.org.uk Editor:

Julie Lithgo arcnews@arcunion.org.uk Deputy Editor:

Steve McFarlane Team:

Josh Flew, Eva Braniff, Ashley Falla

Design & Production:

lexographic.co.uk Advertising:

Simon Briant SDB Marketing 01273 594455 simon@sdbmarketing.co.uk Printing:

Warners Midlands PLC The Maltings Manor Lane Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH

The views expressed in arcnews are not necessarily the views of the editor or the union. arcnews is printed on environmentallyfriendly paper produced from sustainable forests and wrapped in biodegradable polywrap.

Please recycle after you have finished reading this magazine.

3

LETTERS

Letters

I

was, of course, pleasantly surprised to read Issue 86 (Dec 2016/Jan 2017) of arcnews and find that Jeremy Burrows had chosen to include in ‘All our yesterdays’ my speech at the 1991 AGM. I recall making a similar speech at the FDA AGM. Reading the speech, which I wrote overnight in the hotel at Liverpool Street station, brought back many memories, which I last shared with Ian Stuart when he was writing his book on the history of the IRSF.

At that time, I was President of the Manchester AIT Centre, having previously served as Branch President of the IRSF in Manchester. I was the only person in the C20th to hold both these offices.

I was elected to the Manchester Taxes Branch Committee in 1968 and later served as Treasurer/ Organiser, Vice-President and President without ever having had a vote cast for me; I was always unelected unopposed in both the IRSF and the AIT! Some record! I also served as Staff Side Chairman of the Greater Manchester Regional Whitley Committee, having persuaded the IRSF Special Conference to accept the principle of Regional Whitley. My old friend, Jack Lomas served with me as the AIT rep. The Official Side Chairman was the Regional Controller, ADM Brown, a former President of the AIT, and a man of honesty and integrity. Later, along with Mike Wilbey and Colin Elderkin, I served as an AIT rep on the NW Regional Whitley Committee, despite the active disapproval 4

of my Group Controller, who did not believe a TDO DI should be on the Regional Whitley! Happy days!

Even as an Inspector (P), I remained a member of the IRSF until 1982 when I became DI of St Helens 2 and joined the AIT. I was President of Manchester Taxes Branch of the IRSF during the 1977 industrial dispute and I was Acting President throughout the 1981 Civil Service strike and, on both occasions, chaired, in the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, the largest meetings held outside of London!

At our final meeting in 1981, when we voted 3:1 for ‘all- out’ industrial action, we had a gathering of over 3,500 members from across the NW! I was posted to M4/PAYE in 1984, having just been promoted to Inspector (SP). This involved moving our family home (wife and 18 months old son) from Bolton to Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire.

In the summer of 1988, having completed my ‘tour of duty’, I was offered a move back to the NW. However, Martin Hodgson had just joined M4/PAYE as Assistant Director and he asked me to stay on for 3 months. In that time, house prices in the SE collapsed and our house lost £50k in value! That was really the background to the motion! The irony was that house prices in the NW had not yet begun to fall!

My involvement with the civil service Trade Union movement, both IRSF and AIT, is something that I shall always treasure. There is no greater honour that your colleagues can bestow on you than to

put their trust in you as their representative.

Since retiring in 2005, I have worked as a volunteer with the Prince’s Trust, as a committee member and the Vice-Chair of the Manchester CAB and Chair of the HR Sub-Committee; and as a volunteer and Regional Co-ordinator for the charity, Tax Help for Older People. I am also actively involved in my Parish community here in Bolton. I am presently working on a workshop that I have been asked to lead at the Irish Festival in Manchester in March. No rest for the wicked!

DENIS MADDEN Editor’s notes – some translation may be in order for those who have joined ARC since the time of which Denis speaks. The IRSF was the Inland Revenue Staff Federation, which subsequently became part of the PCS union. Whitley was the old civil service consultation system, which was usually quite formal. TDO stands for Taxpayer District Office.

Districts in larger cities were abolished in the late 1990s/early 2000s and replaced with TDOs and TSOs. TSO stood for Taxpayer Service Office. TDOs dealt with all Corporation Tax matters and compliance activities for Income Tax cases. TSOs broadly handled what today we would call processing functions. M4/ PAYE is the old name for what is now part of Personal Tax. Inspector (P) and (SP) are now Grades 7 and 6, respectively. If you don’t know what DI or AIT stand for, ask a senior (in terms of years, that is…) colleague! arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

OBITUARY

FIRST

Sandra Sanchez rise to over a million people.

Sandra Sanchez helped to make that happen. She deserves the credit and respect of making a real difference to the lives of many families across the country.

Sandra Sanchez may have been familiar to some who work at 100 Parliament Street, writes Berni Smith. Alongside her mother, Martha, she cleaned offices at the Treasury and was always a smiling face. What you may not know is that Sandra was also one of the early pioneers of the Living Wage movement, featuring on the front of the Evening Standard in 2010. Her brave actions helped secure the London Living Wage for cleaners at the Treasury.

The following is an extract of an article written by Mathew Bolton of Citizens UK, an organisation which campaigns for the Living Wage. To this day cleaners in HMRC offices including Bush House and Euston Tower are still paid the minimum wage, rather than the Living Wage.

In honour of Sandra’s memory, please continue to ask HMRC to pay its cleaners up and down the country the Living Wage. arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

S

andra Sanchez, her mother Martha and her daughter Tia, are heroes of the UK Living Wage campaign.

They showed such courage to speak out about what it is like to live on low wages, working hard every day as cleaners in Her Majesty’s Treasury. Their honesty and their struggle was a story of family life and of low-pay that struck a chord with communities, with politicians and with journalists.

That moment, in the run up to the General Election of 2010, was a defining moment in the history of the Living Wage campaign. Now over 120,000 workers are paid the real Living Wage of £9.75 in London and £8.45 around the UK. And as a result of the campaign the new Government National Living Wage has brought a pay

It was Martha and Sandra who first met with Ed Miliband MP and persuaded him to make Living Wage a defining Labour Party policy, benefitting at least 40,000 workers in Labour Local Authorities. He has said that he will never forget meeting Sandra and Martha since he had worked in Whitehall for years but had never heard directly about what it was like to work as a cleaner there. It was Tia who spoke at the General Election Assembly in front of 2,500 people and the nation’s media, who’s moving speech was an unforgettable moment for both Gordon Brown and David Cameron, both who came to support the Living Wage.

Speaking more personally, I worked with Sandra and her family. It was an honour to meet them and to see how the bravery and strength and love had passed through the family from grandmother to mother to daughter. From all at Citizens UK, and from tens of thousands of people who now benefit from the Living Wage that Sandra fought for, I give thanks for her life and pay tribute to the difference she made.

MATTHEW BOLTON, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, CITIZENS UK: HTTP://BIT.LY/2M9DUBZ 5

THE ARC AGM

Annual General Meeting...

Why? GRAHAM FLEW ANSWERS.

H

ave you ever wondered why we have an AGM every year?

The starting point is that our rules say we must Rule 9.1.1.1 says:

»» 9.1.1: An Annual General

Meeting shall be convened every year for the following purposes:

»» to receive the Accounts; »» to appoint an auditor to audit

the next year’s Annual Balance Sheet »» and Statement of Accounts in accordance with Rule 3.7.2; »» to fix the rate of subscription for Associate Members of ARC »» to determine the amount of any Political Fund or other Sectional Subscription to be paid during the following year »» to transact any other business 6

of which notice has been duly given to the Secretary by the Committee, by any Centre or by at least 25 individual member.

It is that last bullet that I shall be commenting on (without, of course, devaluing the others!).

“To transact any other business…”

You will be familiar with any other business – it is for items which got forgotten on an agenda, it is of dubious currency in some quarters (if we don’t know about it in advance we shouldn’t be discussing it etc.)

But to ARC it is actually how we determine much of our National Policy and direction – this is where matters raised locally get to be debated and the resolution (an AGM motion which is successful becomes a resolution) becomes something which Committee must

act upon.

You will read elsewhere about the progress that Committee has made on motions from previous years AGM’s and I shall say a little here about what Centres need to be doing to get their issues debated at AGM.

Motions from Centres Again I am looking at the rules and we have issued the timetable for this year in the formal notice:

Formal Notice I hereby give notice that the 2017 Annual General Meeting of the Association of Revenue and Customs will be held on Tuesday 16 May 2017 & Wednesday 17 May 2017 at the Manchester Conference Centre, Sackville street, Manchester M1 3BB The timetable for receipt of motions, names of delegates, and arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

FIRST

TIMETABLE FOR 2017 ARC ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Last date for receipt of motions

Tuesday 28 March 2017

Last date for receipt of names and official addresses of AGM Representatives

Tuesday 18 April 2017

Final agenda to be issued to members in the week commencing

Monday 24 April 2017

issue of the final agenda is above.

The important date in respect of Motions from Centres is Tuesday 28 March – this is 49 days before the date of the AGM (Rule 9.1.3 says: Notice of a motion for the AGM is duly given if it is received by the Secretary not less than 49 days before the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting).

Action By Centres to Create a Motion for AGM Centres need to convene a arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

meeting in good time, and (rules again) they are required to give notice:

»» 8.5.2: At least three days’

notice of the time and place of any Centre meeting and of the subjects to be discussed shall be sent by the Centre Secretary to all members of the Centre and to the member of Committee allocated to the Centre under Rule 8.4.1.

The meeting itself needs to be quorate:

»» 8.5.3: The quorum at a Centre meeting shall be the lesser of eight members belonging to that Centre or 25 per cent of the total number of members in the Centre.

My grammar pedantry suggests that really should say “fewer” rather than “lesser” but that is what our rule says.

What Should the Motion look like?

If you have looked at any of the previous years AGM agendas you will know that motions all start with “That this AGM…”. That is because a motion needs to set out that this is what the AGM is saying – it is not what the Centre is saying as it is AGM which is instructing Committee as to what matter is to become Policy.

The idea is to set out the issue in hand, illustrate it with the points 7

to be made and then instruct Committee to do something about it.

Many say “That this AGM...” more than once, sometimes with “notes that” and often ending with “instructs Committee”.

For example last year’s motion 35 said: “That this AGM notes the continued roll out of the BOF programme and the proposal for Regional Centres.

This AGM notes the concerns of members in many parts of the country where there will be no accessible Centre (& hence place to work).

This AGM is particularly concerned that many Regions of the UK simply will not have a Regional Centre at all and cites as examples: East Anglia The South West of England The North of Scotland This AGM instructs Committee to engage with HMRC to discuss how these (and other) omissions can be addressed so as to create meaningful jobs for those unable to access the current proposed sites.”

What happens to the Motion?

today 8

arcunion.org.uk/agm2017

The motion is sent to the ARC Secretary – in practice this means it is sent to a dedicated mailbox at FDA HQ with a copy to the Convenor of the Procedure Sub Committee (this is me).

The PSC look at all motions to determine whether they are in order and should be included in the formal agenda. Reasons for not doing so are many but generally it is about ensuring the

rules for creating the motion have been followed and that the motion itself is suitable to be debated. We often get motions on subjects which ARC (and Committee) have no negotiating rights on so there is no purpose to a motion on such matters. I do not want to say much about what might get turned back as the idea is to generate interest and get Centres to put forward motions.

Last year we had 59 motions submitted (and 57 made it to the agenda) so we have always had plenty of interest but it is important that as many members as possible feel that they can have their say.

The Agenda The agenda is issued to all who are attending AGM and is published (usually by means of ARC Forum so this year it will be on the new Website).

The agenda structures the business of AGM and the outcomes are, again, published to members. If you think that ARC Policy is in need of change then the best opportunity to do that is by attending your Centres meeting and sending something to AGM. Even better is to go to AGM itself (OK we have rules about who and how many can attend, but encourage members to do so where possible) and make yourself heard.

The AGM Look out in future editions on how AGM itself operates. You can also read many articles on this in past arcnews editions, often including something written by a first time attendee, and these are all available on the website. • arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

FIRST

today The new ARC website is now up and running at: arcunion.org.uk

Read the latest news, blogs and comment Get the latest on changes to pay, terms and conditions Get in touch with your local reps and committee members Flick through back issues of arcnews, information arc and members’ updates Join the discussion on the new ARC Forum Exchange ideas and comments with your fellow ARC members in our secure members’ area All members are automatically registered and you should have received your username and password by email. If you missed it, just email us with your FDA membership number and full name at registration@arcunion.org.uk and we’ll send you a reminder.

We’re continuing to develop the site and will be adding lots more content and features in the coming months. We will also be running a users’ survey in the run-up to Christmas, so please use the new ARC members’ forum let us know how we can improve the site and what else you’d like to see available online or email us at website@arcunion.org.uk.

Help us to develop the ARC website into a digital meeting place for members and help build the union for the future. arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

9

VICKY JOHN BACK ON SOM SUCCESSES I FORWARD TO CH

A FORW AN BACKW LOO

I

n January 2016 I was supporting Tony Wallace through the final months of his presidency and we were wholly focused on the first set of 1-21s that were to start in February. The Department was producing guidance

10

on the process, and on RDT and DTA, and we were attempting to proofread and offer feedback. Consultation was patchy, one of the key people in the HMRC process had gone to ground, Lin Homer had not announced her departure (though those of us that

had read the New Year’s Honours list had seen her described as “lately CEO of HMRC”, which was a hefty clue) and we had no idea of the changes that were about to unfold.

Fast-forward a year and we have: »» A new CEO

arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

PRESIDENT’S SAY

NSON LOOKS ME REMARKABLE IN 2016 AND HALLENGING 2017.

WARD ND WARDS OK

»» A new Chief People Officer »» A new head of Employer Rela-

tions (actually two new heads of Employer Relations) »» A commitment to consult which is genuine »» A new ARC Committee

arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

»» A new way to calculate DTA »» A new PMR system »» No guided distribution We have, again, coped with substantial change during 2016, and 2017 is not looking any different.

As I write this, the repercussions of the NAO report into BOF are still rippling through. Our sister union, PCS, has taken the victory (when don’t they? They have also claimed PMR but I think that is ours alone) and is to map a

→

11

credible alternative and I have asked Committee if they think we need to revise our stance on the programme.

Up to now, and throughout last year, ARC acted as a critical friend (very critical on occasions – see previous arcnews columns and blogs for details) and perhaps we should shout about our successes a little more. We have provided consistent feedback where policies produce results that are odd 12

and we have provided credible alternatives for consideration. We were instrumental in the change to DTA calculations and we continue to discuss these changes at our regular HR Policy meetings. I think we need to keep acting in this capacity but as the Department reviews its programme and makes changes, we should consider whether or not we need to adapt our position to handle those changes.

We are a good union and the Department respects our opinion when we offer it. We bring authenticity to the table because we are doing the jobs that we are talking to them about and we are implementing the changes they are asking us to, sometimes at great personal cost. I absolutely accept it is not easy to be within the process and to be implementing the process for others at the same time. I don’t think arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

PRESIDENT’S SAY

we should underestimate the pressure this puts us under as a union and as individuals. Just because I’m based in Birmingham and know that I will be opting out of the 1-2-1 process doesn’t mean I don’t understand the issues faced by others who are not so lucky.

I went through a similar process in the old Inland Revenue when they rationalised the West Midlands estate in the 1990s, and well remember the uncertainty that followed the 1-2-1 interview while I waited for my decision letter. It is this breadth of experience that we have in ARC that gives us the authenticity we need. When we combine it with the new and fresh talent we are bringing through via our various training offers and recruitment drives we should be a formidable presence at any discussion around BOF. In 2017, I want ARC to continue to be that presence and to continue to question the Department, constructively, about how it arrives at the decisions it makes. Our work during 2016 has unearthed a great deal of issues that are finally being addressed. What we discovered was that the BOF programme moved from announcement to implementation without any thought or provision for the impact on those individuals whose offices were to close. As a result we have offices where »» People are migrating to a target office or straight to the Regional Centre but managers have no support in place to help organise such large scale moves »» People are leaving the department who actually want to stay, because flexible working would not be accommodated – they are a huge loss to the Department »» People are moving to offices where the travelling alone will take up to five hours out of their day – at huge personal and financial costs to both them and the Department arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

SO A FORWARDS AND A BACKWARDS LOOK, A DIFFICULT YEAR FOR MANY WHICH WE HAVE TRIED TO IMPROVE BY ENGAGING WITH THE DEPARTMENT AND HOLDING THEM TO ACCOUNT WHEN THEY DO NOT FOLLOW PROCESS.

We have lost valuable expertise, some of which is not replicated anywhere else in the Department. In the 2016-17 closures we have lost approximately 1,100 years of experience, and that does not include the retirements and resignations that have also happened throughout 2016, which add to the loss of expertise. Under the new CEO, the Department has woken up to the fact that this transformation has unwanted consequences that we are now reacting to, when we should have anticipated them and had solutions ready.

For example: »» We are only now discussing flexible working with a view to making it possible – to repair the dreadful damage done by the original statement that there would be no home working.

But at least we are now discussing it and the working group are committed to solving that and other issues with contracts that are arising as we continue to recruit more staff. ARC has a seat at that table as a result of the work we have done on diversity, for which we thank Helen Baird-Parker. »» We have managed to get diversity and inclusion on the agenda for BOFL but we are still not entirely sure what is happening in this space and what work is ongoing because nobody seems to have a handle on exactly what is needed and where.

»» We have queried decisions announced on 30 June to move technical work, but these are now being revisited as part of the OD piece that was announced on 1 October. »» We have uncovered, and are pursuing, an issue with the London pay scales that people will move onto when they move into certain offices and their interaction with partial retirement.

We are now about to enter the process for 2017-18 closures and I have spoken to the members who are affected by the first tranche. As soon as we have the details for the second tranche we will speak to them. We need to know what they would like out of the process.

If some people are waiting for an exit package, then fair enough, but some will wish to remain working for HMRC, and ARC will work hard with the Department to find a solution if one is possible. HMRC have announced this week that it is offering extended opening hours and I don’t see why we shouldn’t take advantage of those hours if it suits our members to do so and, more importantly, preserves a job within the Department So a forwards and a backwards look, a difficult year for many which we have tried to improve by engaging with the Department and holding them to account when they do not follow process. We have a good relationship with the new CEO, the ER team and most of the senior staff. If I look back to last January, there have been huge improvements although the issues we are discussing for a large part remain the same.

We are a professional organisation and we are proud of that, but we must remember that we are also a trade union, so we are about retaining jobs and terms and conditions and making the working environment better for our members. We must not lose sight of that. • 13

A PERSONAL VIEW FROM DAVE BOOR

S

ome background first. I was told a few years ago, that I had reached ‘that age’! What age, what does that mean? Well it’s the age (so I was told) that things start to go wrong and bits drop off (made me feel like an old car).

Well they were right, in recent years I’ve been diagnosed with High Blood Pressure, had a double hip replacement and had a touch of the ‘Black Dog’ whilst going through some personal issues.

The hip problem came about from continued competitive sport from an early age, having been told sport was good for you (if you are interested in what I did, search for ‘Kyokushinkai’ in Youtube).

In this period, I also became an orphan and having spent years feeling that I was indestructible despite a misspent youth, I suddenly became aware of my own mortality and the causes of my parents’ premature deaths through health issues. This was further compounded by the tragic and sudden loss of two colleagues, both younger than me, from cancer.

In November I was made aware of an event in Jubilee House,

14

Stratford. ‘International Men’s Day’. It was advertised as being aimed at raising awareness of men’s health, challenges and celebrating their contribution to society.

So on the day I made my way down to Stratford to be greeted by a number of information points and market stalls.

Firstly, sporty stuff. Lots of information on local sports amenities, gyms, classes, fitness trails with offers available to civil servants. In the shadow of the Olympic park I wouldn’t have expected anything less. The CSSC offer reduced rate gym membership to its members and a variety of other sporting and leisure activities. There was also details of the Cycle to Work scheme. I know colleagues that have taken advantage of this scheme and the scheme not only includes the bike but also clothing.

I then started thinking whether I would need a new bike for the proposed journey from Stratford station to the site of the new Regional Centre.

I then went to a stand staffed by a colleague who gave a very informative presentation about prostate cancer, the risks, signs

and symptoms and his personal journey providing some information of the tests and things that could provide a false positive before a test. Very thought provoking.

Next was a stand dedicated to diabetes. With a father that suffered from type 2 and a friend with type 1 diabetes I was interested to get more information on the differences, and the risk factors, which I found out were ethnicity, weight, age family history and high blood pressure (I started getting very worried at this stage), symptoms and how best to reduce the risk of type 2 (healthy eating and being physically active).

My next port of call was to Mind, the mental health charity. More and more I am seeing people around me affected by anxiety and depression. I’ve come to the conclusion that this is a combination of the stress of modern life and being able to recognise the signs having been a sufferer. I was told (hopefully incorrectly) that you never get rid of depression but learn to control it. Because of the work of organisations such as Mind there is a much greater awareness of mental health issues arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

INTERNATIONAL MEN’S DAY

and recognition by employers of the need for support and understanding rather than the stock phrase of “come on man pull yourself together”. I was asked to described how it felt once by a friend, and my words were it was like being in a thick fog and not knowing what to do or what direction to go and all I needed was a hand to be there out of the fog to guide me out. It’s not that simple but just my way of describing how I felt.

At the stand there was plenty of useful literature including information on support and various treatments, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT is based on the idea that the way we think about situations can affect the way we feel and behave. For example, if you interpret a situation negatively then you might experience negative emotions as a result, and those bad feelings might then lead you to behave in a certain way. On a personal note I found exercise and the release of endorphins helped greatly as well as a purchase of SAD lamp (something I’d certainly recommend) and most importantly being able to talk about your problems to someone be it a friend, a colleague or your GP. Opening up and just talking helps. As the old BT advertisement went “It’s good to talk”.

To help with “mindfulness’ and stress control I am aware that there is a very popular ‘Knit & Natter” / Craft & Chatter” group that meets regularly in Jubilee House.

There were further stalls on general men’s health and wellbeing that included leaflets on snoring, Drug & Alcohol abuse and the Metropolitan Police on safety and crime prevention. Living in a part of the country (deepest rural Suffolk) where the local police have to deal with hare coursers and the theft of farming machinery I was surprised with the current issues in and around London including bogus landlords taking deposits for non-existent properarcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

ties, usually from foreign students!

Leaflets and a representative was also on hand from Workplace Wellness Service (previously Employee Assistance). Access to the site is on the Intranet and as the home page states ‘your free & confidential Employee Assistance Programme with Information, advice and support 24 hours a day’.

On the site there is a link to “What kind of Man asks for Help?” The site states that last year over 6,000 men approached Workplace Wellness for help, then gives example of how it can help including when the ‘Red mist descends’ to ‘dealing with bereavement’.

It’s well worth a look to see what help is available from them.

Overall I found it a very informative

and thought provoking couple of hours. It certainly got me thinking about what I need to be doing to reduce the risks.

I understand from the organisers that there was a lot of very positive feedback and the plan is to repeat the event year on year and make it bigger and better.

So, if you do get the chance I would encourage you to attend the next event.

You don’t know what you might learn and it could save your or a loved one’s life. • THERE IS MORE READING AND INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THESE WEBSITES. WWW.PROSTATECANCERUK.ORG WWW.MIND.ORG.UK WWW.DIABETES.ORG.UK 15

making tax digital— what does it mean for businesses?

OLIVER FISHER HEAD OF POLICY & DESIGN (MAKING TAX DIGITAL FOR BUSINESS) IT IS A BOLD VISION FOR A MODERN TAX SYSTEM AND AIMS TO MAKE HMRC ONE OF THE MOST DIGITALLYADVANCED TAX AUTHORITIES IN THE WORLD. IT IS PERHAPS NOT SURPRISING THAT IT HAS ATTRACTED A HIGH LEVEL OF INTEREST AMONGST TAX AND BUSINESS COMMENTATORS.

16

arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

MAKING TAX DIGITAL

W

ithin the UK, and indeed worldwide, millions of people are harnessing the opportunities of the digital age. We shop online, bank online and chat online. ‘Digital’ is part of everyday life. It’s only right HMRC should keep pace, matching our services to what taxpayers are accustomed to and moving further away from the age of paper, letters and phone calls.

Over the last five years the government has prioritised the creation of a modern, efficient, competitive tax system. This has seen the successful delivery of Real Time Information (RTI) [the alternative use not Vicky’s husband – Ed] changing the PAYE landscape – and the Business and Personal Tax Accounts. Making Tax Digital (MTD) builds on these foundations, fundamentally changing the way taxpayers interact with HMRC. MTD is a bold vision for a modern tax system and aims to make HMRC one of the most digitally-advanced tax authorities in the world. It is perhaps not surprising that it has attracted a high level of interest amongst tax and business commentators.

For individuals, it will enable more taxpayers to get their tax right, more often and in real time, together with HMRC making better use of information we already obtain (or can obtain to a high quality) from third parties (e.g. banks). For the vast majority it will mean the end of the tax return process as they currently know it. → arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

17

IT IS WORTH SAYING THAT THIS IS A NET REDUCTION IN THE TAX GAP CAUSED BY ERROR – SOME BUSINESSES WILL FIND THEY ARE CLAIMING EXPENSES WHICH PREVIOUSLY THEY OMITTED OR DID NOT KNOW THEY COULD CLAIM. THE KNOCK-ON EFFECT FROM ALL THAT WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT LOWERING OF THE UK TAX GAP.

And more and more services delivered through the Personal Tax Account.

But what does MTD mean for businesses?

Well for most businesses (including the self-employed and landlords) it is a modernisation that supports them to get their tax right, and gives them confidence that they have done so. Tax will be integrated into the day-to-day running of a business through a change to the way they are required to keep their records (in future digitally, using software or apps). Business will also need to interact with HMRC more regularly with the annual tax return replaced for most by quarterly updates of summary data sourced from the business’ software package. These changes will cover both direct and indirect taxes (IT/NICs, VAT & CT) and allow the business to gain greater certainty through the year on how their tax bill is evolving and confidence that they have got their tax right. This will help with cash flow as well as reducing the risk of unwelcome and costly HMRC compliance interventions.

So how will MTD make it easier for business taxpayers to stay on top of their tax affairs and avoid simple mistakes? A combination of digital, closer to real time record keeping, and quarterly updates will take out around 10 percent of the tax gap caused by error and failure to tax reasonable care (latest figures show this running at around £8bn per year). The software will cut out a range of basic errors (for example, arithmetical mistakes/transposition), and over time will be able to nudge and/or prompt the business – for example around adjustments for business vs private use – to reduce this gap still further. It is worth saying that this 18

is a net reduction in the tax gap caused by error – some businesses will find they are claiming expenses which previously they omitted or did not know they could claim.

The knock-on effect from all that will be a significant lowering of the UK tax gap.

For the accountancy/tax profession, MTD is a significant change. Their response has been mixed. Many firms are already built around a paperless operating model with records shared in the cloud and with regular high value client interaction. These see the real advantages in the MTD approach.

But at the other end of the scale are practices with clients who keep their records on paper and send them to the agent in December or January for them to add up and file their return. In this model there is less room for value added services to support the business to grow or become more profitable. For these practices there will be more to do to transition their clients to MTD, as well as some consequential changes to their own business model. Post transition, MTD will ultimately reduce agent workloads on tax compliance but just as HMRC is changing, agents will need to evolve their services too.

Readers will be aware that over the last 12 months external commentators, tax and business groups have expressed some concerns about the MTD proposals. All agree that the ambition of a modern, digital tax system is the right one, but views diverge on how, and how quickly we get there. Summer 2016 saw one of the widest consultation exercises HMRC has undertaken with extensive engagement with a range of people and in a variety of ways. We received over 3,000 responses and at the time of writing are finalising response documents.

Our plan is to publish the government’s response and draft legislation early in 2017 with attention now increasingly turning to the first phase of delivery in April 2017 (in partnership with both the software industry and the tax profession).

Just as the policy and legislative elements of MTD start to navigate Parliament, testing of the new services for those businesses arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

MAKING TAX DIGITAL

in Income Tax Self Assessment starts. We have already recruited around 500 businesses – from those who currently file on paper to those who use agents and/or file online and will recruit another 500 through our software industry partners.

From April we’ll start to ramp up numbers of businesses and agents and will also increase the range of functionality we are testing, so that we are confident that data flows between software products and HMRC systems are accurate and secure and that the new digital products really work for customers.

We’ll follow the same approach for businesses who are registered for VAT, and those paying Corporation Tax during 2018 – 2020.

This isn’t, though, a government IT project. HMRC has looked to the software market to step up to the challenge and deliver user-friendly products for businesses that interact with HMRC’s systems. There is already a vibrant market for tax products and eighteen software vendors are now enhancing or developing MTD for Business-enabled products. These 18 include some of the most significant players in the market, representing 98% of the commercial products used by over half of those filing an Income Tax Self Assessment return.

The world is changing, and it is important that HMRC responds. MTD is just one of a number of changes that we will face over the next few years. We have made massive progress in the last 18 months but there is still a fair amount still to do! I am confident that we will realise the vision of a truly modern and digital tax system by continuing to work together, utilising the fantastic leadership of ARC members combined with the hard work of colleagues right across the department. • arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

19

All our yesterdays JEREMY BURROWS TAKES A LOOK BACK THROUGH THE PAGES OF QUARTERLY RECORD, THE MAGAZINE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF INSPECTORS OF TAXES.

MARCH 1905

20

arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

QUARTERLY RECORD ARCHIVES

Quarterly Record Number II, dated March 1905, contained the following entry under the heading “Current Topics”. It is a useful reminder that the Association came into being because of a number of more or less general grievances, which it first members wished to have addressed. The evident tension between members’ wishes and Committee views on the appropriate time for, and form of, action feels strangely familiar to those whose membership dates back more than a couple of years.

Surveyors’ Grievances

T

he movement which has been agitating the Service for some months past has at last culminated in a determination to approach the Board by means of a Petition. We cannot say that the Service is wrong in so doing, because there is no disguising the fact that Surveyors are heartily tired of the conditions under which they work. Although some improvement in the clerical staff has been introduced, a decided reaction has been experienced in the past two years, and many Surveyors are deterred from individually putting forward requests for amelioration owing to the impression that such requests may prejudice them in the future. While this feeling lasts there can be no rest and satisfaction, and the department will lose that ungrudgingly given work which alone can ensure satisfactory results.

The Committee of the Association has been much blamed because it has not only appeared arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

to be lukewarm as regards Surveyors’ grievances, but has attempted to postpone any action.

That there is ground for this feeling we do not dispute, and it is only right that such should be the case. The duty of the Committee is not to encourage agitation. Their capacity is ministerial, and they must, before everything else, make sure that a subject is ripe for legislation before they undertake to promote any measure.

Now that the Service has spoken with no uncertain voice the Committee will not hesitate to carry out their wishes, and to do their best to bring the grievances complained of before the Board.

It is only fair to the Service that the fact should be recognised that never before has a Petition been characterised by so little of a directly personal nature. There is no demand for extra pay or reclassification. The points are, firstly, those which concern, before everything else, the health of the Surveyors, and in equal degree that of the clerks with whom they work. Secondly, to secure that every Surveyor who is accused of dereliction of duty should be furnished with a copy of the indictment, and have every opportunity of defending himself.

Nothing is harder than to work under a sword of Damocles, or to feel that the whip is ever raised ready to fall at the least slip.

100 YEARS AGO: APRIL 1916 The following obituary, which appeared in the January 1917 edition of the Quarterly Record, serves to remind us that even at the height of the Great War, there were still occasional tragic deaths which were completely unconnected with

the war! The Wikipedia entry for the S.S. Connemara is as follows: “The SS Connemara was a twin screw steamer, 272 feet long, 35 broad and 14 deep with a gross tonnage of 1106.

She was sunk on the night of 3 November 1916 at the entrance to Carlingford Lough, Louth, Ireland after being hit amidships by the coalship Retriever. 97 lives were lost that night and the only survivor was James Boyle – a fireman on the Retriever and a non-swimmer. Both [captains] were experienced seamen and the accident was attributed to the atrocious weather conditions that night:

JC Beattie

I

n the history of the Department there have been few happenings sadder than the tragic end, on November 3, 1916, of our colleague, JC Beattie, who was drowned in the Irish Sea, as a result of the collision between the SS Connemara and a collier.

After a very strenuous experience of over a year as Surveyor of the Carlisle District, Beattie was transferred to Liverpool 11th District on its formation in April, 1916, and it is almost unnecessary to add that in these circumstances a further period of heavy work fell to his lot.

The last few days of October were spent by Beattie at his mother’s house in County Armagh, enjoying a much-needed rest, his original intention being to make the return journey by a boat sailing from Greenore for Holyhead on Wednesday, November 1. Had he carried out that intention it is almost certain that he would today have been busily at work in his District; but unfortunately he applied for, and obtained, two 21

50 YEARS AGO: JAN 1967 Towards the back of the January 1967 edition of Quarterly Record, in the section called “On Things In General”, appeared the following lament. How little its author knew of what was in store for his successors over the following half a century!

SS CONNEMARA

days’ additional leave, and was on board the Connemara when that ill-fated vessel started on what proved to be her last voyage.

One of our younger members, he was probably known personally to comparatively few in the Department, but those who possessed his friendship mourn today the loss of a staunch and true comrade. The most unaffecting and unassuming of men, he was always ready to do a good turn, and was perfectly “straight” in even the smallest action.

That he was a prudent man with a sense of his responsibilities as head of a family is shown by the provision he had made in the direction of his life insurance: he had done all that a man in his position could reasonably be expected to do.

As an official he was actuated by the highest motives. He spared neither time nor trouble, and every Surveyor with whom he came in contact testifies to his value.

In Beattie the Department was lost a man of sterling worth and marked ability, cut off on the very threshold of a promising career, and the sincere sympathy of all our members will be extended to his young widow, whose loss is so immeasurably greater than our own.

22

Reflections at the receiving end

I

wonder how many of us now feel that taxation has got out of hand: it is not that the Branch will break down – it survived the war and E.P.T. – but a feeling that taxation has acquired a momentum of its own. These days I am fair amazed at the ingenuity and industry of Somerset House. What corporate brain-power there must be to conceive and comprehend all these complexities and produce such a mass of legislation! How clear and full are these numerous C.I.M. (well, 99 per cent of them).

What time and industry has been spent on designing and producing form after form. In a wry sort of way I am coming to admire these experts at H.O. who must labour mightily as they carry out the instructions and directions they get (and strive to shield us from some of the more fantastic proposals).

There was a time when I felt I knew the Act and the Cases. There has been a time when I felt that at least I knew where to look it up.

Now I find difficulty in remembering there is something to look up. As I reflect on the flood of complexity it disturbs me to find that the pride of knowing the niceties of this or that Section is fading. This is not because the new stuff is difficult – heaven knows we have all dealt with difficulties enough – but because it seems to me to have got out of hand, and whatever the

intentions towards simplicity and reform we seem to be administering a taxation machine which spreads and spreads, and a taxation code which evolves into never-ending rules.

I hope we keep our heads and our common-sense. I hope that we, and in particular Somerset House, are not carried away by enthusiasm and led into legal absurdities and further complexities. As an example I would mention the interpretation of Section 48 (7), F.A. 1965 in M7R/1966 (2) to exclude charges paid by parent to subsidiary; this had to be amended by F.A. 1966 (from 3 August 1966). Could we not have solved this administratively in the first place by admitting charges elections irrespective of which way the charges went? Surely this was the original intention? The Department makes concessions which are administrative acts so why not this one? An exact interpretation of Section 48 (7), F.A. 1965 seems mad.

Let us remember – I too have a Nuttall’s – quos deus vult perdere prius dementat.1 ROMEO 25 YEARS AGO: DEC 1991 Here is a further motion from the 1991 AGM and the proposer’s speech in support, reproduced from the Dec 1991/Mar 1992 edition of Quarterly Record. Quarter of a century later, with the departmental space standard a well-established reality for most of us, it does rather call to mind Cnut’s attempts to turn back the tide.

T

his AGM deplores the move towards open plan offices for the Inspectorate, and instructs the Committee to resist what is already an out of date concept.

Martin Coath (Committee) – For Committee, but speaking also on behalf of our glorious London arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

QUARTERLY RECORD ARCHIVES

Centre. This is a slightly less emotive debate than the last one2, you will be glad to know, but still very important. I’m actually quite relieved to be back from lunch really – I found my way alright. It gives a new meaning to the phrase “Level Exercise”. I also noted that there was a motto over one of the doors in Latin which just says “Direct me Lord”.3 I’ve recently visited Sapphire Plaza at reading which is the Revenue’s open plan flagship, and it’s a splendid building. It looks good.

It’s well equipped. It’s double glazed. It’s got air-conditioning.

It’s got a beautiful atrium with these glass lifts with aspidistras, some blue goldfish and that part is presided over by a large plastic heron.

Now some of your younger Inspectors quite like the whole set up, and I suppose there are two or three occupants of the building who are moderately in favour of the whole thing, one of them being the heron. But … yes, it’s an FT heron. And they also quite like it because it’s a sociable set up.

They hear conversations and join in them two rooms down. But the old Inspectors, most of them do not like it because they can’t concentrate. And the trainees can’t concentrate, so they do all their studying at home and that is a scandal.

Now it’s not completely open plan. I mean you won’t find your meetings rained off or anything like that. There are partitions to door-top level, and that means – apart from bad acoustics – that you can stand on your chair and like the cartoon character “Chad”, you can look out over the Schedule D section and say “wot, no over 14 post?” But you see future open plan – if we allow it to happen – won’t be as good as this. It won’t have these standards. You’ll just have all the disadvantages and none of the advantages.

When there are economies to be made they’ll make them in the arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

open plan set up. You’ll find the partitions get smaller. They’ll probably eat up from the floor first of all, and that will spoil the acoustics. And then entry will not be by key but by 10p in the slot.4 You will find that people will be able to see your feet when you go to read the notices. They’ll probably tie your shoe-laces together.

DIs and Managers have these speak-proof rooms. But they’re not terribly speak-proof. I’m told that a DI recently finished a JAR and all the people in the nearby offices applauded it. Also Inspectors (S) and Inspectors (P) on management do not get speak-proof rooms, so what happens when they want to cajole or rebuke, remonstrate with one of their Inspectors? They’d have to become masters of the whispered telling-off. You’d sound like Hissing Sid. I must ask Laurie to explain afterwards who Hissing Sid is.

Inspectors can’t hold meetings in their own rooms for obvious reasons. Because if you ask a question you get a different answer back from another room.

So there are three interview rooms in another part of the building. That’s a waste of rooms.

They’re not used all the time and that means that the investigator has got to trek with his or her callers up flights of stairs and through the inhospitable wastes of the PAYE section to get one of these rooms. And of course the callers know it’s not their room,

so they lose their status and they lose all the things they want with them. The alternative is they can set it up beforehand, can’t they?

They can prepare the room. They can take, what we might call their Lares et Penates5, to use a classical phrase which means really the family photos – the Arsenal, Liverpool or Brechin City coffee mug. It means the full length portrait of the Director General which we have in our room. But there still is this loss of psychological advantage.

Now with open plan of this sort, even worse than main office open plan, you get the pretty terrible acoustics – the sound reverberates between partitions and spills over. I’m thinking particularly of other people’s conversations. I’m thinking of JAR, and other things that jar, like cupboards and drawers. I’m thinking of shrilling telephones, and then there are all the bodily noises. There’s nothing funny about coughs and sneezes!

In this sort of quiet acoustic you’ll be able to hear the tiniest noise.

The tick of a pace-maker. The creak of a truss. Especially in a Truss District.

I’ve just noticed that I’ve already intruded into the red light quarter. The standards of accommodation in this Department are already inadequate. And if we go for open plan then the standards will drop further. I don’t think there’s any real financial gain, and I must stress, this method of accommodation has been tried by the private sector and abandoned as inadequate. So what we will gain is nothing; what we will lose is concentration, comfort, status, privacy, effectiveness and efficiency. I suggest we resist any attempt to impose open plan accommodation in this Department at all levels of representation – local, regional and national.

And may I humbly request that we start the process here and now by passing this mother of all motions •

1. Those whom God wishes to destroy he first drives insane 2. The previous debate was a common debate on a number of motions concerned with the Bridging Loan issue, which I covered last time in “25 years ago”.

3. The 1991 AGM was held in the Barbican Centre, and of course the arms of the City of London with their motto “Domine dirige nos” (Lord, direct [or guide] us) are a prominent feature. Some might consider that Mr Coath was, perhaps, a little presumptuous in arrogating to himself the Royal “we”! Or perhaps his Latin was a little rusty.

4. I thought long and hard whether to include this facetious suggestion or omit it from the version of the speech reproduced here, as the Board have yet to try this one on us.

5. The household gods which, in ancient Rome, would move with their owner from home to home.

23

MICHELLE WYER ON THE FULLFILING NATURE OF PERSONAL CASEWORK AND HOW TO GET INVOLVED.

Getting Personal

HOWEVER, AS MORE AND MORE PEOPLE LEAVE HMRC, THE NUMBERS OF CASEWORKERS IS DWINDLING. FOR THAT REASON WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN ENHANCING THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF HMRC GUIDANCE AND EMPLOYMENT LAW.

today arcunion.org.uk/?ASDCSDVS 24

O

nce upon a time, lost in the mists of memories, there was a woman who became ARC President. She had lots of great people to help her to do her job. She quickly realised that ARC’s premier customer service to its members was to support them in times of need. She had many brave knights, [aka personal caseworkers], to support her who had many tools and weapons at their disposal to protect the weak and vulnerable. With her trusty knight Sir Steve and her wise counsellors Sir John and Sir Will she set about bringing order to the personal casework system so that there were processes and governance in place. Now although there is still a need, sadly, for help, perhaps more than ever before in this troubled land, it can be provided, quickly and effectively by an army of trained personal caseworkers. (Ed: Michelle was ARC President from 2006-2008, so she knows her history) Seriously though, we’ve all been in situations that have scared us at work; me included, [yes I know, and I’m really scary! It really can happen to anyone] . At those times it’s difficult to turn to those directly around us, either for reasons of confidentiality or because they may be too close to the situation that’s worrying us. At those times ARC can help. Sometimes it’s just a question of having someone to talk to about what’s happened, to bring some clarity and an independent view to the matter. Often you are quite distressed and so close to what’s happening that youU can’t see the wood for the trees and you are

lost in the thick forest that is HMRC’s guidance, [and that’s even before you start googling!] That’s what happened in my case. I spoke to colleagues in ARC, and in FDA, about what was bothering me and they helped me to make a decision about what to do next. It wasn’t a perfect outcome, that almost never happens, but I’d received professional advice, quickly and sensitively and ARC colleagues helped me to find a solution for myself – which in turn led to me feeling that I’d acted to take charge of the situation and made a positive choice about what to do next. That’s important. ARC personal caseworkers are there to listen, to coach and to support you.

At the end of the day though, you, the member, are the one in charge – you will know your case and your circumstances best.

Importantly, ARC personal caseworkers are not financial advisors – if you want one of those have a look at the FDA website; they’re included in the range of additional services that FDA membership buys you.

We have some really, really experienced caseworkers – all of whom form a supportive network to help each other out with tricky personal cases. We have access to professional support from the career trades unionists at FDA and, if deemed necessary, to professional legal advice from very experienced employment lawyers. ARC is a force to be reckoned with and HMRC listens to personal caseworkers and respects us for our experience and professionalism. Additionally we have links to the ARC Benevolent Fund, if financial problems become overwhelming, to provide temporary support. However, as more and more arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

PERSONAL CASEWORK

people leave HMRC, for whatever reasons, the numbers of caseworkers is dwindling. For that reason we are always looking for people who are interested in enhancing their knowledge of HMRC guidance and employment law, [comes in very handy if you’re a manager by the way!] Comprehensive training will be provided for those that volunteer. Facilities time is also available – although many of us do quite a bit in our own time because, well, we often have incredibly demanding day jobs.

Why do we do it? Well partly because we like to help, partly because it helps HMRC to be balanced and reasonable and partly because it enhances our own dispute resolution skills and capabilities. arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

Clearly demand at the minute is quite high. The vagaries of the recently abandoned Performance Management system and the Building our Future programme, [for which we had a special training event last year], have meant that our members have found themselves needing advice and support in bigger numbers than ever before – whether that’s as individuals or collectively, a good example of the latter is the help and support given to members in Norwich in the context of their office closing. Members of my own team there, not ARC members, actually used the guidance provided by ARC, generously shared by ARC members, to help them – because it was so comprehensive and regularly updated.

As well as these quite topical issues we also regularly see computer misuse cases, poor performance and poor attendance cases along with poor treatment of those who have been on secondment or maternity leave and are returning to the mothership. We try to help every member that asks for our assistance – whatever the issue, and I’ve seen a few very strange ones in my time I can tell you.

There’s lots more on both the ARC website, and the ARC section of the FDA website about the service we provide. If you’re interested in becoming a personal caseworker then drop Graham Flew a line at graham@fda.org – he’ll be delighted to hear from you. • 25

HELEN BAIRD-PARKER ON THE CONTINUING FIGHT FOR EQUAL PAY.

The fight goes on HELEN BAIRDPARKER

O

today arcunion.org.uk/equalpay 26

ARC Equality and Diversity Officer

ur appeal to the Upper Tribunal is currently stayed pending the outcome of the Naeem case in the Supreme Court which deals with similar points to our own. In the mean time, we’re launching a public campaign to raise the issue of HMRC’s pay inequality. We and our 70 or so claimants will be contacting people with an interest, including MPs, ministers, and influential people in equality matters. If you’d like to write to your MP, we can help you with a draft letter and support you at any meeting - get in touch if you’d like to get involved. Look out for further updates on the topic.

This is an issue that remains so important to members. We think HMRC underestimates just how strongly people feel, and what a profoundly negative impact it has on their staff to be undervalued in this way. One of our claimants, Jen Becker, has recently retired having joined as a graduate trainee inspector in 1983. She always performed exceptionally, but like many women, took time out for caring responsibilities and progressed at a slower rate than her make colleagues. Jen says: “I continued to get excellent results and performance assessments but was not

actually promoted to Grade 6 until 2006, many years after my comparator. At the time I had the consolation that I had got onto the Grade 6 pay scale in time to reach the top before I retired and consequently my pension would be equal to that of my colleagues even though my lifetime earnings were considerably less. I have never expected to be as well paid in the public sector as I would have been in private practice. I have expected to be treated fairly and without gender discrimination. The cancellation of the pay scale and subsequent denial that it had ever been a scale effectively froze my pay below that of my colleagues and made it impossible for me to reach the same level of final pay and consequently of pension. For the last years of my career I managed my comparator. I was the Assistant Director running a branch of criminal investigators tackling high end complex tax evasion in Scotland and Eastern England. I earned less than my comparator. I in fact earned less than any other Grade 6 on my team apart from a woman who was promoted after me.”

Another one of our claimants, Jane Gregory, can empathise with this: “The pay differential between me and my comparator equates to nearly £80,000 in the 9 years I have been a G6 Team Leader. We do the same job, manage a similar number of people and have worked within the same team for many years. This makes me feel undervalued within the department and it is totally unfair that unless the pay scales change, I can never be paid the same as my comparator.” arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

EQUAL PAY

Doreen McNeil is the claimant our case is named after. She worked in the department for many years, but didn’t reach Grade 7 until some time after her comparators, because she too took time out for children.

Although she was an exceptional performer - achieving an exceed in her very first year as a G7, she never got off the bottom of the pay range. She’s now retired, and like Jen, her pension continues to be much lower than if she’d been paid equally to men who arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

ALTHOUGH SHE WAS AN EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMER - ACHIEVING AN EXCEED IN HER VERY FIRST YEAR AS A G7, SHE NEVER GOT OFF THE BOTTOM OF THE PAY RANGE.

reached the max with the same level of experience she had.

Doreen continues to fight for the women who came after her: “I am still very much involved and keen for a positive result, even if it’s only for women in the future and beyond, as well as within, the department.” ARC continues to be so proud of our claimants and comparators for standing up for their rights, and hopefully enabling all of us to be paid fairly and equally in future. •

27

Are you getting the most from arcunion.org.uk?

Did you know that the site is customised for smartphones and tablets?

Once you are logged in you have full access to all the articles, advice, news and comment.

Don’t have your login details?

Email us at registration@arcunion.org.uk and we’ll remind you.

today

TRAINEES

JOSH FLEW

Trainees update LATEST NEWS IN THE WORLD OF TRAINEES.

T

here is still a lot going on at the moment around trainees and trainee issues.

Here are the highlights for those of you who might have missed some of these changes.

ATSPs In March the latest cohort of the Accelerated Tax Specialist Programme (“ATSP”) will join the scheme. The ATSP allows existing HMRC HO and SO tax professionals to join the TSP at stage 2, bringing them in line with the TSP 2015 cohort. While ARC will be represented at the ATSP induction events we would encourage you to discuss the benefits of membership with your new colleagues and encourage them to join.

TSP 2015s

today arcunion.org.uk/trainees

arcnews

Changes to the course structure means that the start of ‘Stage 2’ of the course has been brought forward from September to March.

Tax Academy have recently confirmed that the mid-point, whereby individuals who

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

have completed the relevant modules and assessments can leave the course at HO level, has been brought forward in line with this change. ARC are represented in ongoing discussions on the impact of this on the Mid-point Pay Rise.

Quality Assessment Framework TSP 2016s and ICAS 2016s will be assessed on their progress in work using the new Quality Assessment Framework, replacing the old competencies scheme in place for previous schemes. A further update on how this works will be provided in a later issue of arcnews. • 29

today

arcunion.org.uk/key-contacts/arc-committee/

Committee’s roles

This is the full ARC Committee for 2016-18 and their roles and responsibilities Business plan responsibilities will be added once roles have been allocated to the new committee. There is a fully searchable version of this on the website.

CONSULTATIONS, ARRANGEMENTS AND TEAMS

30

NAME

ROLE

CLO

Vicky Johnson

President

West Midlands, Gloucester, Bristol

Paula Houghton

Deputy President

100PS, Norfolk & Suffolk

Eugene Mitchell

Treasurer

Glasgow

Helen Baird-Parker

Officer

Legal & Governance, South West Wales

Loz Hutton

Officer

Hull & Leeds

Iain Campbell

Officer

Graham Flew

Officer

Cambridge

Julie Blayney

Officer

North East

David Cooper

Officer

Sheffield

Blair Gardner

Committee Member

Jim Rogers

Committee Member

South Coast, Canterbury

Amy Carr

Committee Member

Liverpool

Spencer Munn

Committee Member

London Euston Tower

Kenny Mitchell

Committee Member

Northern Ireland

Frances Hunter

Committee Member

London BCD

Michelle Wyer

Committee Member

Stratford, Brighton, Croydon

Andy Nixon

Committee Member

Edinburgh

Tony Wallace

Committee Member

Nottingham

Fahad Akhtar

Committee Member

Manchester

Ben Barnett

Committee Member

Nottingham

Josh Flew

Committee Member

Preston

Ashley Falla

Committee Member

Leicester

Heather Morrison

Committee Member

Oxon & Bucks, Reading

Zohra Francis

FDA national officer

Leake Street (FDA head office)

arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

COMMITTEE

CONSULTATION /BUSINESS AREA(LEAD IN BOLD)

PORTFOLIO

REGIONAL CENTRE LEAD

Tax Assurance Commissioner; Corporate Communications; CFO OD; Corporate Communications; CDIO – Lead; Internal Audit; Aspire; RCDTS; Commercial; Change & Transformation – Lead; C T & S – Lead

Strategic oversight; Organisation & Recruitment; Stakeholder Management; Terms & Conditions; External tax group; Pay; Equal pay; Ways of Working; Change; T & S; BOF

Birmingham

Chief People Officer – Lead; CPO Finance; CPO HR Policy & Operations; CDIO – HR; HR – Tax Assurance Commissioner; Change & Transformation – Lead

Stakeholder Management; Pay; Terms & Conditions; Ways of Working ; Information ARC; Terms & Conditions; T & S; BOF; Organisation & Recruitment; Attendance & Wellbeing; Health & Safety

Croydon

Chief Finance Officer – Lead; Corporate Finance; Government Banking; CDIO – Finance; Commisioners Advisory Accountant

Treasurer; SCS

Glasgow

SOLS – Lead ; SOLS – PT & Corporate Tax Services; Tax Litigation; SOLS – Business Tax; SOLS – Business change, caseworkers and cross cutting

Equal Pay; Diversity & Inclusion

Cardiff

Business Tax Lead; BT- Financial Performance & Change; BT – HR; BT Ops; CTIS

AGM/Dinner; WFM (BAU)

Leeds

Customer Service (was PT) – Lead ; PT Finance; PT HR; CDIO-Security & Information; PTCPP

External Stakeholders

Specialist Sites

Benefits and Credits – Lead; Universal Credit; B & C HR; B&C Operations; B&C Customer Strategy & Policy; Universal Credit; B&C Finance

Deputy Treasurer; Facilities Time; Procedures Sub Committee; Facilities Time; Casework

Bristol

Enforcement & Compliance – Lead; WMSB – HNWU; FIS; EC Finance; EC HR; Trainees

arcnews; Website

Newcastle

Enforcement & Compliance – Lead; Counter Avoidance; ISBC – SME

Website; AGM/Dinner

Manchester

ISBC – Other

Website

KAI; RIS; CTIS

WFM (BAU); ESS Transformation

SPT; Trainees

Members below G7

Tax Academy; SME

Training & Professionalism

WMSB – MSB

CPD

ESS – Other; Tax Free Childcare

Green Issues; WFM

WMBC – APEC

Liverpool

Belfast Stratford

Large Business

External focus; Training and Professinionalism

Edinburgh

Debt Management

Organisation and Recruitment

Nottingham

Central Policy WMSB – HNWU

PMR

Large Business

arcnews; Website arcnews; Website PMR

arcnews

FEB-MAR 2017: ISSUE 87

31

Offers for ARC Members!

FDA Portfolio help’s you save valuable time and money.

FDA Portfolio encompasses the FDAs Legal, Financial and Discounts package.

There is no extra charge – all ARC members can access FDA Portfolio.

Highlights include:

Cashback on High Street Brands If you know that you’ll spend £400 a month at the supermarket each month, by pre loading your ‘My Cashback’ card, you will automatically be credited with extra cash, in your account, to be spent at that supermarket, or in any of the partner retail stores.

Save 15% on your current motor insurance Save 20% on your current home insurance An instant saving is available to all members – why don’t you give it a try!

Free Will Service Free standard Wills are available from our partners, Slater and Gordon.

Complimentary Financial Advice Consultation No obligation! From our partners, Lighthouse.

Plus, much more.

The FDA Portfolio Calculator can help you to discover how much money you can save. FDA Portfolio works hard to secure the very best rates and discounts for you. However, where you see our ‘Price Promise’, if you find a better deal elsewhere, we’ll challenge the provider to both match that rate AND add a little something extra in recognition of your time.

Please help to spread the word of FDA Portfolio among your colleagues. Non-members can take a look at the savings they could make if they join. Depending on their circumstances, the cost of ARC membership could be greatly reduced – or even free!

To find out more, visit www.fda.org.uk/FDAPortfolio