Treasury written question – answered at on 24 February 2010.
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer
(1) how many tax credit overpayments were written off in each month of (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2007-08 and (d) 2008-09; and if he will make a statement;
(2) how many disputed tax credit overpayments have resulted in no repayment (a) because of official error and (b) in total in each month of each year since their introduction; and if he will make a statement;
(3) how many tax credit overpayments were disputed in each month (a) between June 2007 and March 2008 and (b) since December 2008; and if he will make a statement.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not separately record whether a tax credits overpayment is written off in part or in full so the precise information requested is not available. HMRC explains its approach to tax credits overpayments and the circumstances in which customers may not have to pay them back in its Code of Practice 26 "What happens if we've paid you too much tax credit?", available at:
www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/cop26.pdf
For information about the numbers of disputed overpayment cases and the number of disputed overpayments written off in part or in full as a result of official error up to and including 2007-08, I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Danny Alexander on
Information relating to disputed overpayments written off on grounds of official error in 2008-09 and 2009-10 can be found in the following table.
New disputes (around) | Written off in part or full (around) | |
2008 | ||
May | - | 950 |
June | - | 750 |
July | - | 1,000 |
August | - | 950 |
September | - | 1,200 |
October | - | 1,350 |
November | - | 1,650 |
December | 15,250 | 1,800 |
2009 | ||
January | 11,200 | 2,350 |
February | 8,450 | 2,200 |
March | 8,600 | 4,250 |
April | 8,450 | 4,650 |
May | 6,300 | 1,650 |
June | 9,000 | 2,250 |
July | 8,800 | 2,300 |
August | 10,350 | 2,150 |
September | 13,750 | 2,800 |
October | 12,050 | 2,750 |
November | 15,250 | 3,400 |
December | 9,450 | 2,400 |
Note: The figures for overpayments written off do not directly relate to those disputes that were received in the same period. |
The number of tax credit overpayments remitted separately on hardship grounds are compiled annually to the end of October and are shown in the following table.
Year to end of October | Number of overpayments remitted |
2006 | 134 |
2007 | 2,092 |
2008 | 1,176 |
2009 | 1,189 |
Yes0 people think so
No0 people think not
Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.