I have had enough - have emailed MP regarding tax credit fiasco

[eandh]

We had a nightmare with MNRC a few years ago and after reading a few internet stories I have decided to email MP - how does this sound?

Dear Ms x

I am wondering whether you would be able to help us regarding a fiasco with HMRC re tax credits and the effect of an error on thier behalf has caused my fasmily.

When my 1st daughter was born in September 2004 we applied for tax credits and awarded 'minimum' child tax credit, everything was fine until our renewal in the spring of 2005. I phoned to complete the renewal over the phone and gave mine and my husbands annual salaries from our P60's. We then received a lump sum payment and monthly payments via my pay. Eventually after many phone calls we discovered the error the person inputting details had entered my husband as working '40+ hours per week' for nil salary.

Despite many many phone calls the payments continued throughout the whole financial year and we appealed to keep the money as it was their error and at no time did they rectify the payments during the whole of the tax year 2005-2006, however, we were unsuccessful and at the time of appealing I suffered 2 miscarriages and felt unable to take it any further.

Our much wanted 2nd daughter arrived in January 2007 and to date we still have not received any credits as they suspended all payments until the debt is cleared (it was approximately £2600) however, now I have researched the tax credit fiasco and HMRC dealing of these situations and it appears that where an error has been made and it is the HMRC fault we should not have been penalised and now I am looking for a way to take this forward. We have had to use credit cards whilst I was on maternity leave as I did not receive my 'birth to 1 year' allowance for my 2nd daughter and this has the now built up to a considerable amount.

I have tried to contact HMRC without much success and am now appealing to you whether you can help us sort this out, I do have a paper trail of the appeal we made if you require copies.

Kind Regards

This sounds like you've had a horrid time. Send it. It's your MP's job to help you. I hope it all works out for you.

Thankyou - I am hoping she will help she is rather stern and is often on the TV etc so am hoping her profile will help the case

I wrote a letter to mine.

I also did nothing by phone with them, so I was able to enclose an entire dossier of paper trail to my MP, including copies of receipts for Recorded Delivery letters I'd sent them as proof I'd always acted in good faith and a timely fashion regarding Tax Credits.

It was very effective and the 'debt' we owed them was eventually written off because it was a result of their repeated errors which I'd done my best to get corrected.

Again, their cock ups have cost £1bn as a latest figure.

Instead of just taxing lower-income people less. That would have made too much sense, I guess.

I know the policy a few years ago was not to penalise families like this if they had made a mistake. It is unfair for them to do this to you. MP's can be very useful. I've used mine when I was a student, my council were refusing to give me a childcare grant because they were wrongly using my tax credit as income, they wouldn't budge until I had a chat with my MP. I would also contact watchdog aswell.

That is why it is so irritating if they corrected it when they make the error it would be so much easier but they continue to pay and then want it back and stop payments

There answer to the appeal is that 'I was aware of the error' yes I was after umpteen phone calls and checking every detail about a million times it wasnt that bloody obvious because they couldnt work it out and kept telling me it was correct!

that's why i never call them.

i always sent them recorded delivery letters so i have proof the information was delivered to their office.

if it didn't reach them or the right person, that's hardly my lookout because i did my part by getting it to them.

i fucking hate the tax credit system and Gordon Brown for creating it instead of just taking lower income people less.