An internal survey has revealed that only 25 per cent of tax collectors believe that HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is “managed well”, while only 34 per cent deem their senior managers’ behaviour to be “consistent with the organisation’s values”.
The results come at a turbulent time, in the wake of the so-called Panama Papers scandal – with tax evasion consistently under the public eye.
Further figures revealed that only 32 per cent thought it was “safe to challenge the way things are done”, while just 35 per cent thought that the board had ‘a clear vision’.
The study formed part of 2015’s Annual Civil Service Survey, which was first published at the end of last year, but has only very recently been highlighted by the press.
Over the past ten years, HMRC has recorded notoriously low scores.
This year it ranked as the lowest-scoring Government department with regard to the “engagement” of its staff – with a significant number of civil servants answering that they would not recommend their department as “a great place to work”.
Shadow Cabinet Office Minister, Louise Haigh, has labelled the findings as “a damning vote of no confidence in the Government’s leadership on tax collection, by their own tax collectors.”
In its defence, HMRC argued: “Encouragingly, the 2015 survey showed positive feedback on the department’s vision for the future and the opportunities available for staff to develop their careers within HMRC.”