January 2018’s update features the latest developments on Talking Points and the Agent Forum.

“Talking Points

• In December we delivered 9 Talking Points covering 6 different topics as part of our SA based programme, including ‘Basis Periods’, ‘Trade Losses’ and ‘Income from Property: minimising the risks for individuals’.
• Over 2400 agents joined us for these live meetings and the vast majority of the feedback received has been very positive.
• The SA programme will continue until the end of January, providing further opportunities to hear about several subjects.
• On the 30 January and 6 February we will be looking at Disguised Remuneration and how to settle tax affairs both for employers and those in contractor loans schemes respectively.
• Our forward-look schedule, publicising Talking Points currently arranged between now and the end of January, is available on Gov.uk.
• We continue to welcome suggestions for future subject matter and will accommodate such meetings in the programme where we can.

Agent Toolkits

• Significant promotion activity, including Agent Update (AU63 & an AUSA18 special) have been successfully published during December 2017, in raising the Toolkit brand profile, within the Agent community, together with making them easier for agents to access via the GOV.UK website. Agent Toolkits continue undergoing an ongoing ‘refresh’ programme to update their content in accordance with current compliance practices and taxpayer obligations. The existing product portfolio has expanded to cover subjects hitherto not considered, following customer insight findings and research. Work continues to be undertaken to evaluate the merits of migrating Toolkits onto a new digital platform, to make them more user friendly to use.

Agent Forum (AF)

• As at end December 2017 the Forum has 246 Agent subscribers, up 5 since last progress report. And 104 HMRC staff, up 7 since last progress report. We continue seeking key stakeholder engagement to both use the Forum and recruit more Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for provision of issue resolution responses. It has attracted over 17.5k views (up 2.5k), 1161 (up +140) posted messages on 195 (30+) current topics; which are moderated daily with appropriate responses given, as determined by subject matter, related traffic generated and referrals provided by line of business.
• The AF has been mobilised during DSBA’s 2016/17 EoY SA filing programme (SA18), which provides help and support to businesses and agents. A dedicated messaging service is set up on the Agent Forum, specifically for this purpose, providing alerts when systems go down, links to GOV.UK guidance and highlights particular widespread fixes to issues raise by AF subscribers. This is an annual event run throughout January and includes segmented out bound emails promoting live webinars, self-help modules, YouTube videos, Toolkits, Twitter and forum messaging across a range of topical subjects including but not limited to, On-Line filing procedures, Expenses & Benefits, Income from Property, National Insurance etc.
• We continue to work closely with the Issues Overview Group (IOG), made up of Professional Bodies (PBs), a number of whom also sit on the VCG and HMRC representatives. It jointly determines what the ‘widespread’ issues priority classification should be, for earliest resolution. New arrangements for these meetings have now been agreed, moving away from a fixed schedule of events throughout the year to bespoke ones. Focus will be on subjects of most concern, at which relevant SMEs will attend to both hear first-hand how Agents are impacted and to offer up or take away issues for resolution. An end of year IOG meeting was held during December 2017 to review progress made throughout the year and to agree future terms of engagement as described above.
• The Digital Support for Businesses and Agents (DSBA) Agent Team, staffed by 2.5 FTE Issues Resolution Managers (IRMs), moderate and run the forum. As and when required we bring in extra cover from our Agent Account Managers (AAMs) team to ensure we maintain response service levels, when going to Lines of Business for issues resolution.”

END OF HMRC UPDATE