Another daft idea from the government!

Written by David Heath MP and published in Somerset Standard on Thu 10th Jul 2008

Let's stick up for the taxman. Or at least the local version. Nobody, if they're honest, or perhaps even more so if they're not, is very keen on their dealings with the Inland Revenue, or her Majesty's Revenue & Customs as we must now learn to call them. But as many small businessmen and women will attest, it's an awful lot easier to deal properly with one's tax affairs if you can contact someone locally, perhaps see them face to face, and talk through any problems you may have. That was one of the great advantages of having local tax offices. So of course the government now want to close them.

This is so short-sighted. Quite apart from the effects on those who work in the local offices, I think the result will be a worsened service. If the plans go ahead, the office in Frome will close. The alternative, Bristol, is inaccessible, inconvenient, and unlikely to provide a personal service. And it makes no environmental sense to force people to drive long distances into highly congested areas.

It's another example of the trend towards a faceless society, where it is impossible to ever deal with someone identifiable and accessible. All the agencies of the state, and the financial institutions, seem to want to withdraw into the cities, or worse still a remote call-centre, perhaps not even in this country. It's alienating and unnecessary.