Nigel Farage said the gap between those who work in the private sector or are self-employed and those who work for the state is “huge” as he criticized the service HMRC provides to UK taxpayers.
Farage described HMRC as “the worst ever” and warned that members of the public were “scared” of the organization which he claimed could “bully” and “threaten” people.
talk on GB News Nigel Farage said: “I think we all accept that we live and work in this country, especially if we do well, and we have to pay taxes, but we expect tax rates to be fair.
“We also expect the tax system to be understandable. Not. Our tax code becomes more complex every year.
“Many of us are so afraid of HMRC that they can slap you with daily fines, they can backdate you, they can bully you, threaten you in all sorts of ways, that we hand the whole thing over to our accountants. This actually adds a few pennies to our overall tax rate.”
“But there are many people who simply cannot afford accountants and are trying on their own to get to the bottom of the tax claims being made, about how their returns are determined and what their levels are. The limits are constantly changing and they have tried to contact HMRC.
“I remember when George Osborne was Chancellor of the Exchequer, so we go back a little bit, and the tax code in this country was 15,000 pages. We were told it was the most complex and difficult tax system in the whole world. Where is it now? It's 23,000 pages.
“It's very complicated. Most people are honest, and I really mean that. Most people are honest. They want to do the right thing. They are asked to do tax returns, etc., so they do the obvious thing, which is to contact HMRC and ask for advice. Now.” I know the gas company or electricity company are all ringing. We live in digital Britain and often you don't understand what you are being asked. I think HMRC are the worst ever.
“Even if you visit the site, you know, unless you're trained in tax law, it's frankly incomprehensible.
“And the worst part of all of this is that a lot of the people who work are getting up earlier in the morning, going home late at night, and working more weekdays than their parents and grandparents ever did.
“The working population, especially those who are self-employed, run small businesses, or even work for larger companies, work hard.
“They pay the highest tax burden the country has seen since 1948. They are treated by HMRC, in many cases, as if they were all potential criminals. There is no one to talk to.
“It could take 800 years to get around to the telephone. However, those who run this system make good money with large pensions, and potential bonuses for spending just two days a week in the office in many cases.”
“People talk about the divisions in the country. The gap between those who work in the private sector or are self-employed and the public sector is now simply enormous.