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Articles by Louise Bladen
HMRC’s debt management recruitment is yielding benefits – now the department must focus on efficiency
When demand rises sharply, organisations have to act quickly. Moving people between teams, changing processes and recruiting staff can help services cope. But as demand eases, the job shifts from managing the immediate surge to dealing with its lasting consequences. HM Revenue and Customs operates on a huge scale. In 2025-26, it collected nearly £1trn in tax to help fund public services, while managing a substantial flow of overdue payments. The pandemic increased that pressure.
Valuation Office Agency absorbed into HMRC
The absorption of the Valuation Office Agency into HM Revenue and Customs has been completed. As of yesterday, the VOA has ceased to exist as an executive agency. The Valuation Office (with agency dropped from the name) is now responsible for valuing properties for business rates and council tax as part of HMRC. The abolition of the VOA was announced in April 2025 ahead of the government’s full-scale review of the status of arm’s-length bodies.
What lessons can be learned from HMRC’s success in taxing large businesses?
Over the past three years, in an environment when maximising tax collection feels more important than ever, HMRC has brought in an additional £15.8bn from large businesses as a result of its enhanced compliance work, double the amount secured in 2021-22. The National Audit Office’s recent report on HMRC's large business directorate praised its "cooperative" approach and found that there is “little doubt” that its work is providing good value for money.
What's in Your Mind Today?
What's in Your Mind Today? In stock Quantity discount For bulk discounting, please call Customer Service at 877-373-0706 and ask about our Corporate Sales Program. Buy on Children who struggle with negative thoughts may wonder how to make them go away. In this guided, illustrated meditation for kids, author Louise Bladen offers a simple mindfulness practice, not to banish bad thoughts, but to feel calm in the midst of thoughts that come and go.
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