Writing in the Tax Journal, HMRC’s Chief Executive, Dame Lin Homer DCB, outlined the revenue’s plans for 2016. Key to its continuing improvement plans is the move towards 13 regional centres, thereby consolidating expertise and saving cost.
Other ambitions include a continuing drive towards digital reporting and further measures to counter tax avoidance. Moving forward, HMRC intends to publish a single department plan in January of each year which will be designed to outline its evolving strategic objectives. Within her article, Dame Lin Homer DCB highlighted the importance of departmental efficiencies but that HMRC also needs “to be a professional and engaging organisation.”
Moving forward she commented that the departments needs to invest in its people “by providing them with the tools, skills and facilities they need and also to continue to invest in our leadership and management capability.” In making these remarks, Dame Lin is also highlighting the importance of investing in continuing leadership development in order to provide a high level of service.
Leadership and management development, people engagement; these are great ambitions for HMRC, which admittedly hasn’t had the best of publicity in recent times. But they are also ambitions which shouldn’t be confined to governmental organisations. Many businesses too would do well to include such plans in their own 2016 business strategies.
