News
Taxpayers get a nudge
06 October 2015
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has come under fire for the use of so-called ‘nudge’ letters sent by its Behavioural Insights Team.
Letters are being sent directly to individuals that are involved in tax disputes instead of via their lawyers or accountants. The language in the letters is used in such a way as to subconsciously ‘nudge’ them into settling the disputes.
The Behavioural Insights Team was originally set up as a central Whitehall function in 2010 in order to subtly alter the way people behave. HMRC has also set up its own ‘nudge’ unit to target high net worth individuals and other taxpayers that they suspect of not paying the correct amount of tax.
According to a study of the practice undertaken by law firm RPC, the sending of these letters directly to clients in any other areas of litigation would be seen as applying undue pressure and would almost certainly be frowned upon by regulators.
Case Studies
-
Taxing demands with old school charm
-
Smiles all round for dental practice
-
A shared passion for architecture and a head for numbers
-
Cut above the rest in personal management style
-
Child's play with proactive accounts management
-
Sometimes a business does exactly as it says on the tin
-
A taste for growth, a thirst for knowledge
-
A modern approach required for music moguls
-
Customer care is top of the list for packaging business