HMRCHard to find a more unhelpful, serpentine organisation as HMRC.If the way they treat taxpayers trying to do self-assessment is anything to go by, then it's little wonder the country is in such a mess.First, they say "Tax doesn't have to be taxing"Then they close down most of the local tax offices.Go digital they say.What a mistake that was.Most companies, banks, big retailers etc., can invent a registering and logging in system that is secure and reasonably easy to use.Not HMRC.They have to come up with stuff like Government Gateway and Gov.UK Verify.Gateway to Hell more like.Gov Verify must have been a cast-off from the Soviet era, something the KGB would have been proud of.Having an NI number, being on the PAYE system, electoral role, a driving licence etc., isn't enough to verify who you are.Then comes the questions that you are supposed to know the answers to, but only some third party like the Post Office knows the answer.No "what is your mother's maiden name", but "what did you have for breakfast on 1st April 2010?"They asked me when I had taken out a mobile phone contract.I knew when and with who.The correct answer kept failing until I tried "never".That worked.So their third party who checks the answers has got the wrong answer.You are stuffed.Get the answer wrong 2 or 3 times, you get locked out for days.After many complaints and speaking to someone on the technical side, I was eventually able to log in and pay my taxes.Until 1st April 2022.The old Verify system has been dumped and won't work any more.All those nightmares all over again.They also dumped most of the six third party identity checkers and cut them down to two, including the Post Office who brought you the Horizon IT system that sent innocent sub-post masters to jail.A fine choice.Asking why users didn't get any notification of the change, the answer from Government Digital Services (GDS), was "I'm unsure of what HMRC have communicated with their users about this change"So one department hasn't got a clue what the other one is doing.Someone's head should roll for running HMRC and GDS
