Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the average amount of time it takes for HMRC to resolve complaints related to Tax Credits Ltd.
Answered by Richard Fuller
HMRC is unable to comment on named individuals, companies, or organisations.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints under process by HMRC relate to Tax Credits Ltd.
Answered by Richard Fuller
HMRC is unable to comment on named individuals, companies, or organisations.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2022 to Question 26810 on Revenue and Customs Repayments, what the average time taken is for HMRC to process repayments claimed through a self assessment tax return in the latest period for which data is available; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Repayment times vary from case to case depending on individual circumstances. All repayments go through security checks, and the vast majority pass them, and they will then be issued within 10 days. Only cases that fail them will take longer to process.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken is for HMRC to process refunds in the latest period for which data is available; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
There are many different routes that customers can take to ask HMRC for a refund, and many different types of refunds that can be asked for. It is therefore not possible to provide an answer to this question.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the standard of service that customers are receiving from HMRC; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
As Financial Secretary to the Treasury, I meet with HMRC officials on a regular basis to discuss progress.
Monthly performance details are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports#reporting-year-2021-to-2022. Quarterly performance updates are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates#reporting-year-2021-to-2022.
Final performance figures for the financial year 2021-22 will be published in the department’s Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) in July 2022. The Quarter 4 2021-22 performance publication and March 2022 monthly publication will be published at the same time as the ARA.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2022 to Question 15313 on Advisory Fuel Rates (AFR), what assessment he has made of the merits of reviewing the AFR more frequently than once a quarter, given that on 13 June 2022, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy recorded average fuel prices of 182.53 pence per litre for petrol, and 190.43 pence per litre for diesel, prices which are higher than the current AFR of 165.1 pence per litre for petrol, and 179.7 pence per litre for diesel.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
AFRs need to be calculated in advance of their publication on GOV.UK. This means that the AFRs published on the 1st June 2022 (165.1 pence per litre for petrol, and 179.7 pence per litre for diesel) were calculated using BEIS data from 16th May 2022. The next publication of AFRs is due on 1st September.
AFRs are an administrative easement and increasing the frequency of review would create administrative burdens for employers as well as HMRC.
AFR rates are not mandatory, and employers and employees can agree to use different rates to reflect scenarios in which a car is more fuel efficient or where the cost of business travel is higher.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2022 to Question 5669 on Child Benefit, if his Department will carry out an assessment of the impact of (a) inflation and (b) rises in the cost of living on people affected by the High Income Child Benefit Charge.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The government understands the pressures that families across the UK are facing with the cost of living. This is why the government is providing £37bn of funding this year, targeted at those most in need. Following the Chancellor’s announcement in May, millions of the most vulnerable households will get at least £1,200 of one-off support in total this year to help with the cost of living.
The government has published distributional analysis of the impact of the Cost of Living package on households, which is available on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-living-support. This analysis showed that households on the lowest income deciles would benefit the most from the support announced. As set out in my answer of 30 May to you, the adjusted net income threshold of £50,000 for HICBC only affects a minority of earners with comparatively high incomes. The Government considers that the current threshold for HICBC remains the best option appropriate. As with all tax policy, the threshold is kept under review as part of the Government’s annual Budget process.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of current Advisory Fuel Rates for company cars in relation to the rising price of fuel.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Advisory Fuel Rates (AFRs) are reviewed by HMRC on a quarterly basis. The outcome of these reviews is published on GOV.UK on 1 March, 1 June, 1 September, and 1 December respectively.
AFRs were increased on 1 June to reflect the latest fuel prices.
AFRs represent the fuel cost per mile for different engine types and sizes, based on average pump prices in the UK. The latest petrol and diesel prices are taken from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the LPG (UK average) is from the Automobile Association website.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2022 to Question 869 on Child Benefit, if his Department will (a) make and (b) publish an assessment of the potential merits of indexing the High Income Child Benefit Charge threshold in line with inflation.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government introduced the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) to ensure that support for families is targeted at those who need it most. It applies to anyone with an individual adjusted net income over £50,000 who gets, or whose partner gets, Child Benefit. The charge increases gradually for those with incomes between £50,000 and £60,000. The HICBC threshold has never been indexed with inflation.
The threshold of £50,000 only affects a minority of those who get Child Benefit with comparatively high incomes. The Government has decided that the current threshold for HICBC remains the best option. As with all elements of tax policy, the threshold is kept under review as part of the Government’s annual Budget process. If the Government does determine that it is appropriate to make any change to the HICBC threshold, an assessment will be published on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 26 April 2022 to Question 154192 on Child Benefit, if his department will make an assessment of the potential merits of indexing the High Income Child Benefit Charge threshold in line with inflation.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government introduced the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) to ensure that support for families is targeted at those who need it most. It applies to anyone with an individual adjusted net income over £50,000 who gets, or whose partner gets, Child Benefit. The charge increases gradually for those with incomes between £50,000 and £60,000
The Government is committed to managing the public finances in a disciplined and responsible way by targeting support where it is most needed.
The threshold of £50,000 only affects a minority of those who get Child Benefit with comparatively high incomes. The Government has decided that the current threshold for HICBC remains the best option. As with all elements of tax policy, the threshold is kept under review as part of the Government’s annual Budget process.