As HMRC celebrates its 20th anniversary, we take a look at the challenges for the future.
On 18 April 2005, the merger of Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise took place, creating His (then Her) Majesty’s Revenue and Customs – HMRC. The idea for the merger was hardly new – William Gladstone first considered it back in 1862.
Fast forward to 2025, and a joint ICAEW/Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) event at Chartered Accountants’ Hall to mark the 20th anniversary of HMRC, featuring a panel of high-ranking experts debating the challenges and opportunities for transforming the UK’s tax system.
They included James Murray MP, Exchequer Secretary to HM Treasury; Paul Aplin, a former ICAEW President, now Vice-President of CIOT; Amanda Tickel, Head of Tax and Trade Policy for Deloitte UK; and Dame Meg Hillier MP, former Chair of the Public Accounts Committee and current Chair of the Treasury Select Committee. The panel was hosted by ICAEW Chief Policy and Communications Officer Iain Wright.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, simplification, the importance of collaboration and digitalisation were some of the key themes that emerged from a discussion. On the need for simplification of the tax system, the complexity of the task in hand was not to be underestimated, panellists cautioned, with Hillier warning of the need for continuity and consistency.
Murray argued that a dual-pronged approach is needed, one that tackles both tax policy and tax administration. “It is incumbent on us to make sure that any regulations coming down the line you’re always thinking: ‘Am I minimising the burden on businesses?’”
In addition to tackling the complexity of tax legislation, the focus also needed to be on simplifying the user experience, as Aplin said: “Changing the wheel when you’ve got a burst tyre is one thing. Designing a tyre that isn’t going to burst is a much better place to be.”
