LOCAL MP WARNS OVER HMRC ERROR FRAUDSTERS

Banff & Buchan SNP MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford has warned that local taxpayers could be targeted by fraudsters after errors made by HM Revenue and Customs left up to six million people across the UK facing an unexpected tax bill.

The SNP has led demands in the House of Commons for action, and received an assurance from the Treasury that HMRC will only contact individuals affected by the tax code errors by letter and never by e-mail. Dr Whiteford is warning constituents that there could be an upsurge of scam e-mails seeking to take advantage of the errors.

It is understood that that 4.3 million taxpayers have paid too much, but 1.4 million have underpaid and will receive demands for the money before Christmas. The average amount of tax owed is £1,428.

Speaking from Westminster, Dr Whiteford said:

“As though these unexpected tax demands are not bad enough there are, regrettably, some very unscrupulous fraudsters out there who will try to cash-in.

“Local residents need to be alert to scam emails purporting to come from HMRC that offer ‘tax rebates’ in exchange for bank details.

“When the SNP raised this in Parliament the Treasury Minister confirmed that HMRC will not contact taxpayers affected by the blunder via e-mail or telephone, nor will they ask for bank details. Any local residents who are affected should be aware of this, and if anyone has any concerns I stand ready to pursue matters with the authorities on their behalf.

“This tax fiasco will cause real hardship for a great many households, through absolutely no fault of their own, and the Treasury must now make every effort to ensure that people are not exploited by fraudsters.”

The SNP were first to call for an emergency statement in the House of Commons over concerns about the general situation and demands for assurances over the scale of the error and repayments faced by millions of taxpayers.

SNP Westminster Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP said:

“Millions of taxpayers face the prospect of an unexpected tax bill through no fault of their own, and yet we have not had answers to the most basic of questions.

“We do yet have absolute certainty on how many people are affected or precisely how much money is involved. We must have clarity on the full extent of these errors, and assurances that taxpayers who face demands, particularly those whose financial circumstances have deteriorated, will not be hounded or face hardship through no fault of their own.

“We need to get the bottom of how and when this problem occurred, when Ministers knew about it, and what action they are taking. It is essential that taxpayers can have confidence in the PAYE system, and Ministers must now get a grip.

“It does seem that this was another mess made under the last Labour government, and it is yet another example of the financial disarray left by Gordon Brown’s administration.

“This whole debacle further underlines the need for Scotland to have control over taxation.”

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LOCAL MP COMPLETES MARATHON 50-VILLAGE SURGERY TOUR

Banff & Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford has completed her marathon tour across the constituency, holding over 50 surgeries across a five day period in her mobile office.

With Cllr Bob Watson in New Aberdour

The SNP MP has now held over 60 surgeries since her election just four months ago. It fulfils a pledge made by Dr Whiteford that she would make herself accessible to constituents in their own communities.

55 towns, villages and scattered communities in Banff & Buchan have now had at least one surgery from their MP, ranging from the main towns of Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Banff, Macduff and Turriff to small communities like Lonmay, Fisherford and King Edward.

Commenting on the tour, Eilidh Whiteford said:

Whiteford in Fisherford

"This was a very good way of getting out and about and finding out about the issues in each community and seeing some of the problems constituents were seeking help with at first hand. 

"It's been a marathon tour and quite a logistical undertaking to schedule it all and arrange posters and adverts to publicise it to people but the turnout suggests that the message was well-received that the local MP would be visiting. 

"While the individual cases which constituents raised with me must obviously remain confidential, there was a wide range of issues raised, some of them of a general nature and some of them people looking for information on a particular Government or SNP policy.   And some people simply saw I was in the area and dropped by to say hello, which was very nice of them. 

"The surgeries have generated in excess of 100 letters and I hope that some input from me can help progress some of the issues which were raised by my constituents." 

Further surgeries are planned for the near future and details will be advertised in the local press.

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BROCH RESTAURANT HEADS FOR WESTMINSTER ONCE AGAIN

B RAJ TANDOORI WINS PLACE IN SCOTTISH FINAL OF TIFFIN CUP 2010

Fraserburgh's B Raj Tandoori Restaurant has won a place in the Scottish final after being selected to represent Banff & Buchan by local MP Eilidh Whiteford in the prestigious Newby Teas Tiffin Cup 2010 competition.

The UK-wide competition is held each year to find the best South Asian restaurant and attracts stiff competition. The B Raj is no stranger to success in the Tiffin Cup having emerged Best in Scotland and overall Third Best in the UK in the 2006/07 competition, which raises funds for the Roko Cancer Appeal, which also fights tuberculosis in the UK and India.

This year, 73 restaurants from across the UK are competing. The B Raj Tandoori, having won a place in the Scottish final will battle with other restaurants from Scotland to become one of the UK finalists in the Newby Teas Tiffin Cup 2010 Grand Final, to be held at the House of Commons.

Speaking in Fraserburgh during a visit to the B Raj Tandoori to congratulate owners Mr and Mrs Baldev Soni, Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP said:

"I am delighted that my nomination for the B Raj Tandoori has won through. The restaurant will now be visited by a 'mystery diner' and I hope that it will be selected to represent Scotland in the Grand Final of such a prestigious award.

"I am sure that everyone in Banff & Buchan will be supporting the B Raj as it flies the flag for the North-east."

Keith Vaz MP, Chair of the Tiffin Club, added:

"We are delighted with the nomination of the B Raj Tandoori. It will really put Banff & Buchan on the culinary map."

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MP WELCOMES OFGEM INVESTIGATION INTO ENERGY MIS-SELLING

Banff & Buchan SNP MP Eilidh Whiteford has welcomed the announcement that Ofgem is to investigate energy providers over claims that they are misleading customers being persuaded to switch supplier on their doorstep or over the phone.

The MP believes the move is a step in the right direction to supporting consumers in the complex energy market but says more is needed to tackle the underlying problem of excessive fuel prices, especially in the heating oil market which has seen huge inflation in recent years.

Welcoming the investigation Dr Whiteford said:

“This is not a new problem, and any steps to end mis-selling are welcome. A great deal of effort has gone into persuading people to switch suppliers but in many cases they have actually ended up with a worse deal.

“The energy market is complex with a multitude of supplier each with a range of energy tariffs. That complexity has clearly been used by less scrupulous sellers over the phone and on the doorstep to persuade customers to switch suppliers.

“Consumers must be afforded greater protection and better options to address complaints and concerns when energy contracts go wrong.

“This action, however, does nothing to tackle the real problem of fuel prices which leave many people in Banff & Buchan facing great difficulty in heating their homes. This situation will only get worse as the Coalition Government target winter fuel and benefit payments for cuts.

“Rather than tinkering around the edges Ofgem should be looking at how to reduce prices for vulnerable households, especially in areas like the rural North of Scotland which suffer very cold winters putting excessive pressure on household budgets.”

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