Sunday, July 09, 2017

We're back again to HM Revenue and Customs: Is it the intention of HMRC to harass me to have their stop on my mail removed? (WITH DOUBLE UPDATE 10/7/2017)

Re: Internet cuts since 26 May 2017

From my earlier blog post's Update 10 July (9.06am):

"And it's not just Facebook blocks, blocks on public access to our Church and State website and the daily targeting to fluctuating degrees of category pages throughout the site that Declan and I are dealing with these days. We have also been dealing with Internet cuts since 26 May. See my blog post of 21 June, Internet cuts: We pay £65 per month for BT Infinity but feel we are in a race against time to stay online (WITH UPDATE 10/7/2017 RE: 56th Internet cut since 26 May 2017)."

We had to suspend work on our Church and State website on 15 June after 4 internet cuts in one night. 4 internet cuts on 25 June; a record-breaking 6 cuts on 6 July; 3 cuts yesterday; none since midnight today (as of 10 July at 9.06am).

The War on Free Expression



On Friday Declan complained to Royal Mail about the treatment of our incoming mail; see my previous blog post, Complaint to the CEO of Royal Mail: Has Royal Mail declared open warfare on our incoming mail? And this question is raised on top of Internet cuts that are going out of control (WITH UPDATE 10/7/2017). Then this Sunday evening I find myself emailing HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) after discovering a stop to any automated correspondence being issued by them to my address.
From HMRC: "HM Revenue & Customs has been unable to deliver mail to you. Please update your address."

For the attention of Jon Thompson, Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary of HM Revenue and Customs

Complaints Service (PAYE and SA)
Tier 1
HM Revenue and Customs

Address removed for email


9 July 2017

Tax Reference [number removed]

Dear Operational Manager,

I wish to complain that I have been asked on my online account to update my address (please see my name and address box).

I hereby confirm that my current mailing address remains as follows:

Mrs Maria Dolores Heavey
71 Queens Road West
Plaistow
London
E13 0PE

This has been my home address since 17 May 2014; therefore, my address does not require updating. This is not to mention the fact that such an update could trigger the suspension of my husband's Housing Benefit (please see the email and attachment below). Please could you have the offending note removed.

Alternatively, I respectfully request that HMRC show that this cannot reasonably be regarded as a reasonable course of action.

Yours faithfully,

Maria Dolores Heavey
UTR: [number removed]

M: 0788 043 7681
E: dheavey@gmail.com



UPDATE 10 July (12.38pm): HMRC are still insisting on my online account that I update my address, notwithstanding the threat to our Housing Benefit if I do so. (According to Newham Council, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HMRC are tied into the oneSource service they share with Havering and Bexley Councils. The last two times Declan has had to update his address with HMRC, Newham Council wrote that they suspended our Housing Benefit because the DWP notified them that our address had changed.) This morning Declan received this response from Samuel Ford of Royal Mail's Chairman and Chief Executive Office:

Dear Mr Heavey

Thank you for your email on Friday 7th July – I was unable to respond as I was not in the office.

I’m sorry that you have had cause to contact us again to report a problem with the delivery of your mail. It is clear that we let you down once more – and it is especially disappointing that it has occurred despite the action already taken with your previous complaints.

I have therefore contacted senior management in your area to take a top-down approach to this complaint. This method of reporting makes the most senior relevant manager aware of the incident so that patterns are stopped before the problem becomes endemic.

Please be assured that I do understand the severity of this issue, and I am doing everything I can to ensure we get this fixed for you.

I will write as soon as I am able – but if you need anything else from Royal Mail in the meantime please just let me know.

Kind regards

Samuel Ford
Royal Mail - Chairman and Chief Executive Office

UPDATE 10 July (6.05pm): HMRC still have not removed their stop on my mail. Declan has been informed by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) that my complaint will have to go through HMRC's complaints process (Tier 1, Tier 2 and Independent Adjudicator) before the PHSO will consider the matter. There's no telling from this e-letter of acknowledgement what we are looking at in terms of HMRC:



Perhaps it will be our narrative going forward that we are being harassed even by HMRC; see my blog post of 29 November 2016, Will it take the Independent Police Complaints Commission to protect our address with HM Revenue and Customs? (WITH UPDATE 22/12/2016).



From My Picks:

9 June: Ministry of Justice: Complaint to the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice against the County Court at Central London, Royal Courts of Justice (WITH UPDATE - Day 13 21/6/2017)

'Let me recommend an important web site churchandstate.org.uk. Operating out of London this well-designed and exciting web site covers church-state, population, climate change and other issues. Check it out.' - Edd Doerr, President, Americans for Religious Liberty