Nigel Farage has 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 hit out at the service offered by HMRC to UK taxpayers.
Farage described HMRC as “the worst of them all” and warned that members of the public were “afraid” of the organization which he claimed could “bully” and “threaten” people.
Speaking GB News Nigel Farage said: “I think we all accept that we live and work in this country, especially if we do well, we have to pay tax, but we expect tax rates to be fair.
“We also expect the tax system to be understandable. It's not. Our tax legislation is becoming more and more complex every year.
“Many of us are so afraid of HMRC, they can impose daily fines on you, they can backdate you, they can bully you, threaten you in all kinds of ways, that we hand the whole thing over to our accountants. That effectively adds a few pence to our overall tax rate.
'But there are many people who simply cannot afford to pay accountants and they are trying to figure out the tax requirements themselves, how to estimate their returns and how high they should be. The borders are constantly changing and they tried calling HMRC.
'I remember when George Osborne was Chancellor, so we'll go back a bit, the tax code in this country was 15,000 pages. And we were told that this was the most complex and difficult tax system in the world. Where is it now? It's 23,000 pages.
“It's very, very complicated. Most people are honest, I really mean that. Most people are honest. They want to do the right thing. They are asked to file tax returns etc. so they do the obvious: call HMRC and ask for advice. Now. I know calling the gas company or the electric company, all of them. We live in digital Britain, you often don't understand what is being asked of you. It's a nightmare. I think HMRC is now the worst of the bunch.
“Even when you get to the website, it's honestly incomprehensible unless you have training in tax law.
“And the worst part of it all is that so many people who work get up earlier in the morning, come home later at night, and work more days of the week than their parents and grandparents ever had to.
“The workforce, especially those who are self-employed, run small businesses or even work for large companies, are working absolutely hard.
'They pay the highest tax burden the country has seen since 1948. In many cases they have been treated by HMRC as if they were all potential criminals. There is no one they can talk to.
“It can take up to 800 years to get through it over the phone. And yet those who run this system make good money with big pensions and potential bonuses when, in many cases, they work in the office just two days a week.
“People talk about divisions in the country. The gap between those who work in the private sector or for themselves and the public sector is now simply enormous.”
