Tax Credit Reclaim Cracks - Don't Give Up In Fighting The Revenue
August 2005
There is no other way to describe the tax-credit situation for many people as a complete fiasco. Basically the Revenue & Customs have over-paid thousands of claimants and are now forcing them to pay back this money. This is very unfair because for most of the claimants the fault of over-paying lies 100% with the Revenue.
But cracks ARE starting to appear and people are getting the Revenue to back down in their claims for repayment. Claimants don't actually have to repay any money rather the money is deducted from source. So if you received £250 a month for a year and £50 a month was an overpay then you'd now be receiving only £150 a month etc.
What To Do If You've Been Overpaid?
In a word FIGHT! Fight like hell with the government and also be prepared for a long battle maybe lasting at least a year.
Put all your correspondence in writing and keep writing letters, perhaps several a month. Also don't just deal with the Revenue, go and see the local Citizens Advice Bureau, write to your local MP and/or perhaps find out when they hold their monthly surgery in order to visit them face to face. Recent comments actually suggests that your MP can help in fast track any claim.
The Revenue is certainly playing hardball but the chink in their armour is that they've stated publicly that cases would be waved where the claimant could 'not reasonably have been expected to spot the overpayment'. This point therefore should be what you focus your case around.
Good luck with your Fighting!
See Also
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