PSTAX Resolve – HMRC complaints and redress support for public sector bodies.
HMRC delay, error and poor casework can consume public resources, delay decisions and place unnecessary pressure on finance and tax teams.
PSTAX Resolve gives PSTAX Club members and public sector clients a structured, PSTAX-supported route to challenge HMRC delay, error and poor casework, and, where a complaint is upheld, to recover the costs HMRC has caused.
Every matter starts with a free Triage assessment. We will help you decide whether a formal complaint is the right route before you commit to any fees.
New for PSTAX Club members and public sector clients
PSTAX Resolve has been introduced to support public bodies where HMRC handling has caused avoidable cost, delay or uncertainty.
It is not intended as a first response to every HMRC disagreement. It is a structured, evidence-led service for cases where normal engagement and informal escalation have failed, and where the formal HMRC complaints process may be the most proportionate route.
Why we have introduced this service
HMRC’s operational performance continues to place a disproportionate burden on public bodies.
We have seen a significant increase in cases of:
- Unnecessarily suspended VAT return repayments.
- Unprepared and uninformed approaches.
- Disproportionate and irrelevant information requests.
- Ignorance about the law generally and the legal regimes applying to public bodies.
- Lack of knowledge and awareness about sector-specific precedents and policies.
- Contradictory decisions.
- Delays in liability decisions.
Unnecessary, unreasonable and drawn-out HMRC enquiries consume public resources and funds.
Most HMRC-related issues are not suitable for litigation, and even when they are, litigation is not often a proportionate remedy for public sector bodies. It carries cost, political scrutiny and resource commitments that are difficult to justify against the value of most disputes.
The formal HMRC complaints process can provide a low-cost, proportionate alternative. However, it remains underused because it is not widely known about, and public bodies are often reluctant to complain.
When PSTAX Resolve may be appropriate
PSTAX Resolve may be suitable where:
- Normal advisory engagement with HMRC has failed to resolve the matter.
- Informal escalation to HMRC has not produced a satisfactory response.
- There is measurable, documentable harm.
- HMRC may have failed to follow its own Charter or Professional Standards.
- The cost of officer time and advisory fees is disproportionate to the value of the dispute.
- Tribunal litigation would be impractical or disproportionate.
- HMRC delay, error or poor casework has caused avoidable cost, uncertainty or resource pressure.
If you are unsure whether your matter is suitable, that is exactly what the free Triage assessment is for.