HMRC pledges £5.5mn in funding for tax advice & support
Melanie May | 18 July 2023 | News
HMRC is offering £5.5 million through its Voluntary and Community Sector Grant Funding programme to provide free advice and support to people who may face barriers in understanding their tax obligations and claiming their entitlements; are digitally excluded from accessing HMRC services; or have any other difficulty in interacting directly with HMRC.
Bids should support HMRC’s principles of support for customers who need extra help and include two or more of the following activities:
- Help people comply with their tax affairs
- Support customers with complex needs (including those referred from HMRC’s Extra-Support Team)
- Support people to be able to use digital ways of accessing HMRC’s services
Organisations can apply for the funding, which is worth £1.8mn a year from 2024 until 2027, between 24 July and 21 August 2023. Successful organisations will be announced in October with the new funding starting from 1 April 2024.
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Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Deputy Chief Executive and Second Permanent Secretary, said:
“We know that customers really value the trusted tax advice they receive from our voluntary and community sector partners. The funding programme is an important part in our commitment to support our hardest to reach customers and builds on the current support HMRC offers to those who may need extra help with their tax affairs.”
This is the 12th round of HMRC funding to help people with their tax affairs. In the last year, funded organisations have supported 39,000 customers over the phone, with face-to-face meetings and via email.
As well as providing support to customers who may need extra help, organisations will provide insight to help HMRC improve its understanding of customers in vulnerable circumstances so it can reduce barriers and improve people’s experience when dealing with the department.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.