Free to be incompetent

Today brings the disturbing news of a builder facing bankruptcy because of a mistake by the taxman. There was a 52-day delay by the taxman in processing a crucial form, and this has led to all sorts of problems for the hapless Neil Martin.

That is not the worst part. The builder sued the taxman, and the judge ruled that, unlike other public bodies, Revenue and Customs are immune from prosecution. This means that they can make as many more 'mistakes' as they like without being sued.

Revenue and Customs are happy with the decision. They say that if the judge had decided otherwise, many other cases would have been brought by people who felt they had a case. You can therefore imagine their relief. Who knows how many more such mistakes have been committed?

Our builder is not taking this lying down, however. He intends to go to the Court of Appeal. This blog wishes him all the best. We shall be watching as this case develops.