A new Charter setting out what individuals, businesses and other groups dealing with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) can expect from the department, as well as what it expects from them, was launched today.

Under the Charter, HMRC gives a commitment to:

• respect individuals and businesses;
• help and support them to get things right;
• treat them as honest;
• treat them even-handedly;
• be professional and act with integrity;
• tackle people who deliberately break the rules and challenge those who bend the rules;
• protect their information and respect their privacy;
• accept that someone else can represent them; and
• do all it can to keep the cost of dealing with HMRC as low as possible.

In return, the Charter states, HMRC expects individuals and businesses to be honest, respect its staff, and take care to get things right. The Charter also provides pointers to further information on rights, where help and support can be found, and HMRC’s role.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Timms said:

“The Government is committed to making the tax system as useable and accessible as possible, for individuals, businesses and all the other organisations who interact with HMRC. The new Charter will go a long way to helping achieve that goal.”

HMRC Permanent Secretary for Tax Dave Hartnett says:

“The Charter’s key aim is to improve the relationship between HMRC and our customers, and we obviously have a crucial role in making that possible. But we can’t do it all on our own. Both parties have a part to play, and that’s why the Charter sets out people’s rights and their responsibilities.”