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TAXMEN JET OFF ON 1,400 TRIPS IN FIVE MONTHS

UNDER FIRE: Gordon Brown

Saturday February 9,2008

By Macer Hall Political Editor

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(6)

TAX officials made almost 1,400 overseas trips at taxpayers’ expense in five months, official figures revealed yesterday.

HM Revenue & Customs staff visited more than 60 countries, including exotic destinations such as Jamaica, Japan and Malaysia.

And the trips, between November 2006 and March 2007, helped tot up an annual travel bill for flights, train tickets, taxis, hotels and meals of nearly £2million.

The soaring cost will fuel criticism of the troubled Government agency, already under fire for blunders, including losing details of 25 million child benefit claimants.

Revenue bosses insist the trips are essential for international investigations against tax evasion, drug dealing and other crimes.

But a senior Tory, who obtained the figures in a Commons written answer, accused officials of enjoying foreign “jaunts” with public money.

Philip Hammond, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said: “The public will want to know what on earth these people are doing, swanning around the world at the taxpayers’ expense instead of sorting out problems in their own backyard.

“Given the mess Gordon Brown’s made of our tax and benefit system, surely they are not offering advice to others? Perhaps they are hoping that they’ll stumble across a better way of doing things in some far-off corner of the globe.”

By far the most trips were made to European destinations. The records show that tax officials made 335 trips to Belgium. Staff also made 403 trips to France, 90 to the Netherlands, 61 to Ireland, 31 to Spain and 29 to the Netherlands.

More exotic destinations included Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Venezuela, New Zealand and the south Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.

Matthew Elliott, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “HMRC has let taxpayers down in the most disgraceful way time and again. Spending millions jetting hundreds of civil servants around the globe is in no way within their remit.”

A Revenue & Customs spokesman said: “We make essential trips abroad to enable us to carry out our roles investigating and combating global issues such as drug trade, fraud, organised crime and counterfeit goods.

“We also play a leading role in promoting best practice within the international tax community.”

TAKING THE PISS OUT OF THE TAXPAYER...

09.02.08, 9:37pm

...seems to be the latest national sport, for all public sector employees!

• Posted by: BoggyDepot • Report Comment

START WITH PARLIAMENT

09.02.08, 7:35pm

If this is the best practice they can come up with, then they are absolutely stupid.
All the dodgy deals have been done and are done within the walls of Parliament and hence the taxman should start his job there instead of running around the world.

But do they have the stomach to do this?

Those germans brought to trial for war crimes had the defence that they were following Hitler's orders.

Would the British taxmen also have this excuse?

Are we being ruled by Hitlers?

• Posted by: Nalin • Report Comment

BEST PRACTICE !

09.02.08, 5:51pm

The Taxman is saying it is "Best Practice" with regard to their trips abroad!
I suppose that Practice is needed, I mean can anybody else in the world boast that they lose a billion or two to fraud, lose the tax details of nearly half the people in the country.
I think that these officials definatly need a lot of practise....! Can we just fire them, or better still put them in a department all of their own where they can play with monopoly money and see how they do there.

• Posted by: DeneB • Report Comment

SOFT TOUCH BRITAIN

09.02.08, 12:27pm

Well you know what to do now don't you. If you want to rid this country of this so called government. Vote BNP. Perhaps the people that voted for Labour are starting to think twice as they will only do something when it starts to affect them, now you know the truth. Are you going to vote Labour again? If you voted Labour before you should hang your head in shame. Look what you have done to your country.

• Posted by: ftroop1 • Report Comment

THIS GOVERNMENT IS AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE

09.02.08, 10:05am

No wonder we are being taxed so much, we are paying to keep foreigners around the world, foreigners here, polygamous wives, wives,family AND friends of MP's, extra homes and luxurious expenses for MP'(ig)s, worldwide 'official' 'holidays' for taxmen and other such governmental freeloaders!

WHAT MUGS WE ARE!

YET YOU AND I TRY WORKING THE SYSTEM AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS!

• Posted by: Jac16 • Report Comment

WELL WELL

09.02.08, 8:47am

Gravy planes too,watch out for the fact finding jollies that we never hear about and whether the facts found out benefit us in any way.
Sort of away days really

• Posted by: Maggie • Report Comment