A Large Corporates: LBO Forum has been set up to examine the largest corporate customer service issues, as well as providing a medium for discussions into new and proposed legislation. The formation of the Forum developed through the introduction of new legislation and has been given added impetus by the Modernising Government White Paper.
A Large Corporates: LBO Forum has been set up to examine the largest corporate customer service issues, as well as providing a medium for discussions into new and proposed legislation. The formation of the Forum developed through the introduction of new legislation and has been given added impetus by the Modernising Government White Paper.
LBO Director Marjorie Williams said:
“The Forum will enable us to provide all the help our customers need to meet their statutory responsibilities. We will also get tax payers’ feedback on our customer services together with opinions and insights as to how new legislation can best be operated in practice.”
The membership of the Forum consists of a cross section of corporate tax managers as well as representatives from the LBO and Inland Revenue generally. Meetings will take place two to three times a year, with the first meeting scheduled for January.
Your comments are welcome on any aspect of the Forum, and to aid communication details of the Forum and its purpose have been placed on the Large Business Office section of the Inland Revenue Internet website at “www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk”. As agendas and notes of meetings become available they will also be placed on the website. You are encouraged to enter in the debate by registering your views, using e-mail, direct to the LBO via the Revenue’s website.
DETAILS
1. The LBO deals with the largest UK corporate taxpayers and partnerships as well as banks, building societies and insurance companies operating in the UK. In 1998/99, the LBO produced additional tax yield of #1.9b from its activities.
2. Large corporates, who are the LBO’s main customers, comprise 5% of corporate taxpayers but contribute about #27bn (90%) of the Corporation Tax as well as countless millions in PAYE. The idea for the Forum was originally conceived at the time CTSA legislation was introduced. However, it has been given added impetus following the publication of the Modernising Government White Paper.
3. The Forum will enable the LBO to get closer to its customers, better understand their needs, and at the same time it can be used as a sounding board to test ideas, debate current issues and provide our customers with another avenue to contribute to developing thinking on new legislation.
Specifically, the Forum will enable the LBO:
Better understand the needs of its customers and so improve the service it provides.
Identify the compliance burden on customers with a view, where practicable, to taking measures to reduce it.
Provide a forum within which current taxation and operational issues can be debated.
4. The Forum is not intended to replace or displace the many existing productive links between the Revenue and representative bodies, but to supplement them by providing a direct channel between some of the UK’s key taxpayers and the office which handles their tax affairs.
5. The Forum consists of a cross section of tax managers to ensure that it is representative of all LBO customers, as well as the main industry sectors in the large corporate area. Nominations from the private sector were collated through LBO Case Directors’ nominations, as well as through contacts in the accountancy profession. Revenue representation will consist of people from the LBO, and as appropriate, people from Policy, International and Compliance Divisions.
6. To enable wider participation, agendas and notes of meetings will be placed on the Inland Revenue’s Internet website. If anybody wishes to participate in the debate, they can register their views, using e-mail, direct to the LBO via the website.
7. The first meeting has been arranged for 18 January 2000. Arrangements have yet to be finalised, but some issues which have already been identified for the first meeting are:
CTSA
LBO service standards/customer survey
Systems Audits
Group Accounting and Company Accounting
A final agenda for the first meeting will be available on the Large Business Office section of the Inland Revenue’s website prior to the meeting.
8. It is intended that meetings will take place two to three times a year.