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UK Tax Credits
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Chairs Report: AGM 2009
It's hard to believe that it's already a year since our first AGM, last
November. I can remember Paula writing about a good year for TCC, with lots
achieved in the previous twelve months by a growing team. This year has been no
different in achievement, and I'm extremely proud and honoured to be involved
with such a group of hardworking and dedicated volunteers. Each and every core
member of Tax Credit Casualties deserves to be recognised for the part that they
play in this organisation, and to accept that recognition with pride.
The many anonymous forum advisors also deserve recognition and thanks for the
help they have given to so many. Please give yourself a huge pat on the back. We
couldn't do it without you.
Below are some of the events from Tax Credit Casualties' past year:
- Immediately following our AGM in 2008, Paula fought off stiff competition to win the 'Volunteer' category at Rotherham's Community Achievement Awards. As
well as Paula receiving well deserved recognition for all of her TCC work, this
gave Tax Credit Casualties some much needed media coverage which made more
people aware of the work we do.
- December bought a small failure, in the form of a chat room for the website.
Although the chat room worked, it was just a bit too temperamental to go live
because it would have caused more problems than it bought in benefits. That
project is still on the back burner - not forgotten; just not for now.
- A new member, Janet, joined the team in January as Regional Coordinator for
Wales. Janet campaigns for overpayment victims who live in Wales, spreading the
TCC word that there is a way to fight HMRC, despite what they say, and lobbying
Welsh politicians about the injustice of Tax Credit overpayments.
- February saw our BBC 'big screen' film aired in Rotherham city centre, with
permission being sought to air on other big screens in city centres across the
UK. Because of our increasing attendance at public events, TCC had to obtain
Public Liability Insurance for the first time - just in case!
- February also saw us begin a campaign on LabourSpace, the Labour Party website
that promises equality in every campaign posted on it's pages, and that a senior
Labour MP would address the campaign with the most support each month. It wasn't
long before we realised that LabourSpace was actually a WastaSpace - votes
weren't registering correctly and the webmaster was ignoring our e-mails about
the numerous problems with the site. It was also deeply disappointing that only
eighty, or so, of the thousands of visitors to our site actually joined in with
this campaign. This may have been down to the fact that each voter had to
register their personal details in order to vote - but if even 10% of our
visitors had joined in, we would have placed the Labour Party in a very awkward
position indeed regarding their position on Tax Credit overpayments.
- In March, we applied for, and were awarded, a grant of just under £1,000 from
Rotherham's Community Leadership Fund, with many thanks to Lynda Donaldson. This
allowed us to order some much needed publicity and promotional material, as well
as providing a vital boost to our funds for the day to day expenses of TCC.
- Late April saw Paula make a brief appearance on GMTV, but unfortunately the
media interest that continued well into May resulted in nothing but
disappointment. Amongst others, and at the very last possible moment,
ITV's 'Tonight' program and C4's 'Dispatches' dropped us and Tax Credit
overpayments in favour of more topical, more popular and less controversial
themes.
- Financial Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Timms, and Permanent Secretary
For Tax at HMRC, Dave Hartnett, both received meeting requests from TCC in
April, following public statements they had made regarding Tax Credit
overpayments. Unfortunately, it took over three months for them to respond, with
both refusing meetings.
- Paula and Jess met with John Andrews and Victoria Todd, (LITRG), and
Katie Lane, (CAB Policy Unit), in May. Discussions were held as to
how TaxCC operates and whether we could work in partnership with their
organisations. The meeting was useful in order to put names to faces, and to
establish a communications path. There has been significant liaison between
Paula, Jess and Victoria since then.
- June saw a sharp increase in the amount of casework for Paula, as new repayment demands began to drop through peoples letterboxes.
Unsurprisingly, the number of visitors to the website began to rise again, and we received so many requests from victims who objected to being automatically signed-up for another year's Tax Credit hell that we re-published our 'opt-out' letter on the site.
- As well as welcoming a new team member, Jenni, on board, we began some legal work with John Hemming MP in July. This is ongoing, and addresses illegal annulment of Tax Credit awards - where HMRC class the whole of the previous year's award as an overpayment, because, for whatever reason, they didn't receive end of year paperwork from a claimant.
- With a General Election on it's way, we also wrote to the three main Political Party Leaders in July, asking them to detail their policies about Tax Credit overpayments specifically, and Tax Credits in general. To date, the Conservative Party has acknowledged our letter and passed it on for George Osborne to answer, whilst the Liberal Democrats have given us a full reply. The Labour Party have neither acknowledged or answered our letter.
Rest assured that full details will be published on the website in the near future.
- TCC were kindly invited to have a stand inside the Voluntary Action Rotherham marquee, at the Rotherham Show in September, and this gave us the opportunity to use the new promotional displays and literature that had arrived in August. Sarah and Paula were rushed off their feet, and the day was a huge success.
- September also saw TCC voice their support for the Citizens Advice overpayment write-off campaign. Portsmouth Lib Dem's Mike Hancock MP and parliamentary candidate Darren Sanders backed our amnesty campaign, and publicly called for the reform of the Tax Credit system.
- We began more legal work in October, joining with TaxBar in working toward a Judicial Review of the Tax Credit system.
So what does the coming year hold? Well, there's a General Election on it's
way, and change will happen if that's what the Electorate decide. I'm excited at
the prospect of change, because it's plainly obvious that the overpayment issue
will never be resolved without a change of Government.
TCC are often accused of being 'too political'. The Tax Credit overpayment
issue cannot be fully addressed without attacking the Government that bought it
into being, yet refuse to correct, or even acknowledge, it's flaws. It is my
belief that those in positions of responsibility have a duty of care to those
that they are responsible for. Our present Government have ignored the plight of
overpayment victims, and seem totally unable to understand the fact that well
over a million of the UK's poorest people a year find their lives in debt to a
supposed 'benefit'. Yes, Tax Credits do a lot of good, but when they also cause
so much suffering to so many people, and that suffering is known about but
unresolved, it becomes a crime against humanity.
So our fight isn't just about Gordon Brown and his weak ego, unable to accept
the revelation that his flagship 'achievement' of Tax Credits, copied from other
countries without thought to the problems that those countries had experienced,
has failed and poured misery on well over one-fifth of those it was supposed to
help.
It's not just about every Labour MP who has blindly followed Party
instructions, despite knowing the turmoil that so many of their
constituents have suffered.
No. Our fight is also about every Conservative MP, every Liberal
Democrat MP and every Independent MP who hasn't demanded that this flawed system
be changed. Every Senior Manager at the Tax Credit Office. Directors at HMRC.
Every single person in a position of possible influence who has done nothing but
toe the line, ignoring what is right in order to not rock the boat.
Change is coming, but will it be the change we want?
Tax Credit Casualties will continue to campaign for an amnesty and write-off
of overpayments.
The rest? Well ..... that's up to you.
Graham Forrest
Chair
Tax Credit Casualties [Top]
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