Exclusive: IPSA Makes Thousands of False Tax Declarations
The pen-pushers at IPSA are meant to restore confidence in the expenses system and avoid the pitfalls of paperwork cock-ups, deliberate or not, that have blighted Parliament for so long. Red faces all round then as it seems thousands of MPs staff will get a bit of a shock when they open their annual P60 certificate.
When IPSA was founded, they hammered home the fact that Members would remain the legal employer of their staff. Their contracts make this very clear:
Staff pay-slips back this up. However, the P60 end of year tax certificates, sent to every staffer, state that the employer is “IPSA 7th floor, Portland House, Bressenden Place, London, SW1E 5BH”:
Simply not the case.
A P60 is proof that tax has been paid and the details are meant to be watertight. Guido understands this is what is known technically as “a massive cock-up” rather than a deliberate shift in the employment rules. IPSA have made clear they will replace the P60 with a correct one if staff complain, but it seems they weren’t going to announce the blunder publicly. MPs will be chortling into their subsidised pints that IPSA has messed up their own paperwork. The fact that IPSA can’t get something as basic as Parliament’s P60′s right, doesn’t bode well for the rest of their duties…
Call in the SFO now!!!
Will it make a difference, really?
As you say, Guido – embarrassing, but that’s about it.
We’re from the Government – and we’re here to help you…
Laws is in the process of writing 40,000 apologies for his theft and false accounting because he is gay. When are these supposed leaders going to sort out their corrupt MPs?? McClegg, this is your job. Right to recall and right for referendums on EU please.
Well said.
It’s all too easy to blame the IPSA and say ‘nothing to do with me mate’ if you’re Clegg. He’s the deputy PM for f***’s sake, we expect more from him.
He should publicly state that a crook like Laws will never progress under him.
Hopefully the IPSA are a bit more on the ball re MP’s expenses though.
He should publicly state that a crook like Laws will never progress under him? That’s assuming that Clegg is a serious and credible politician.
Clegg will promote Laws as he has no shame and no idea what integrity is.
Please please please the right to recall so we can tell Clegg how to do his job and dump Laws.
If they cock up- nothing. If You or I cock up there are penalties.
But poor old Laws is gay. Isn’t that an excellent excuse in 2011′s Britain where being gay is accepted?
Sorry but this is what happens when you have crooks regulating crooks.
They have got so used to breaking the rules and law that when given the chance to adbide by the law and rules thier crimanl minds cannot cope and they end up screwing up.
so are you now referring to MP’s staff as crooks too? because that is who this affects. moron
As most MPs usally employ thier family members then yes, Tis in the family after all.
most? go on them give me the names of all the MPs that employ members of their family. … oh and don’t forget, most means more than half!
Buy a T-shirt.
http://www.cafepress.com/guidofawkes
tin hat more like
Is there a pensioner discount?
They had to “do” Al Capone for Tax Fraud…
P60s are NEVER meant to be reissued – one of HMRCs rules. Frigging idiots.
Wrong, Duplicate P60′s have been allowed since 2003
If M.P.’s are the employers then why are IPSA issuing the P60′s, anyway?
This is fairly tame compared to some of the ‘mistakes’ M.P.’s made on their paperwork.
And at least it hasn’t cost us anything.
“at least it hasn’t cost us anything.”
Don’t be too sure of that.
it will cost a fair bit when the thousands of members of staff request corrected forms. as they have every right to do.
Of course it has, they now have to reissue amended P60′s to all MPs’ staff. Thousands.
You are legally obliged to produce an accurate P60 form as an employer.
You can be fined by HMRC for not doing so.
They have to be in a hard copy as the tax man can ask for them.
one rule for the rest of the UK another for the commons…….
ibbo, do you think there may be a “fiddle” somewhere in this?
this will shake our democracy to its foundations
May be a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth. IPSA seem to have quite a high headcount for the sort of workload that a medium-sized private enterprise would entrust to a staff of about six or seven.
Private enterprise wouldn’t employ numpties to do the job.
….or require the Pay Office to run it’s own Press Office or have a Board of Directors. Probably just a staff of a handful, with one manager who reports to the Financial Director.
Don’t forget the extra Tax office staff as MPs have a completely separate tax system.
All bureaucracies are overstaffed, and state ones doubly so. Oh, and they are always incompetent and create chaos.
Its cos’ its done on the cheap using scab non-unionised labour.
Get a decent workforce in – at least twice the headcount.
When IPSA was created their main objective seemed to be to employ lots of senior executives to handle strategy, communications, PR etc. With all those numpties around, it’s not surprising they’re a shambles!
This is fuck all compared to some of the ‘mistakes’ that twat BLIAR made on his paperwork, he fucking shredded his and got away with it.
And at least it hasn’t cost us anything.
Except that Blair can only have shredded his own copies of the paperwork. The Fees Office must have retained their own copies, surely? And if not, the memos and instructions which ordered them to surrender those accounts and documents to No 10s control must have been signed by somebody, right …?
FOI request, onyone …?
In for a penny, in for a pounding, eh?
You musn’t be too hard on IPSA. They didn’t hand my file to the police for fiddling my expenses. Jahbulon.
Hmmm are MPs paying employer NI contributions.
Just a random though.
On expenses….
When MPs complain about IPSA, IPSA must be doing something right, pigs at the trough need a sharp stick.
What are IPSA doing producing P60s anyway? Surely it’s the employers (MPs) responsibility?
Ok Guido, why are you suddenly all sanctamonious against IPSA? Have some of the MP’s who are peeved their gravy train has been slowed down a bit got to you?
Presuming the P60′s are all saved on computer, the staff time (press a few buttons) and cost of paper to rectify this is shouldn’t even run into hundreds, and no one’s tax details were incorrect.
The real scandal is the way IPSA is being hounded because it is trying to get MP’s to claim expenses in the same way as the rest of us.
Guido has gone a bit native recently. Too many drinkies on terraces etc. He’ll be as tame as a lobby journalist in the end. Sad.
Subsidised pints? What are you talking about? My MP told me public subsidy for catering on the parliamentary estate has ended!
There is no direct subsidy of food or drink – it’s all market priced – and London prices at that (£2.95 for a pint) but overall the Catering and Retail Services department is still subsidised although much less than it used to be – they argue this is due to the long hours they must serve for only part of the week which has some merit, but they also have a huge captive audience for their monopoly and should be creaming it in sufficiently on high volume staff meals to cover the minor part of their business devoted to MPs that is loss-making.
“£2.95 for a pint”
That isn’t even the London price. Up north is at least £3.00 or higher london is closer to £4. Not subsidised my arse.
Presumably the erroneous P60s breach some HMRC regulation for which the true employer is now liable. In the private sector (remember that), we get fined for that sort of error.
I wrote to IPSA and asked for a new P60 and got the following reply saying they are not in the wrong:
“I would like to inform you that the amended P60 has not been issued as we have received confirmation from HMRC that the original P60s are correct. Even though Mr Miller is your employer, for HMRC purposes IPSA is the paying and registered agent so the P60s need to therefore state this as otherwise HMRC would not be able to match the records correctly.
Your employee/payroll and tax office reference numbers have changed; this is due to the transfer from the House of Commons to IPSA and, again, does not affect you in any way.
There will be a communication going out on the Bulletin Board shortly confirming this to all Members and their staff.”