§ 14. Mr. Beithasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will abandon the proposals to close the Alnwick offices of the inspector of taxes and of the collector of taxes.
§ Mr. RidleyA final decision to close the office of the inspector of taxes in Alnwick has not been taken. It is part of an outline plan drawn up by the Inland Revenue for rationalising the whole local tax district network.
401 The closure of the collection office stems from a review of the local office network in the light of computerisation and the need to use resources effectively. After taking into consideration all representations received, and following detailed discussions with the union, it has been decided that the Alnwick office will close by 1986.
§ Mr. BeithDoes the Minister believe that it is fair to taxpayers in a rural area to have to travel between 20 and 50 miles to obtain personal tax advice from the tax office? Is it fair to taxpayers in general that the enforcement services of the tax collector will be withdrawn from so wide an area? Will he give further consideration to the matter?
§ Mr. RidleyCollection is now mainly carried out from Cumbernauld and Shipley, and there is no need to have close access to a collection office. The hon. Gentleman will know that no decision has been made about the inspector's office. He might also wish to know that the Inland Revenue has reduced the bureaucracy of the tax collection offices by about 17 per cent. during the past four years. One cannot reduce bureaucracy without closing some offices.