Government LGBT tax booklet under fire
June 19th, 2009
A Government leaflet with advice on tax for LGBT people has been branded “a waste of tax payers’ money” by pressure group The TaxPayers’ Alliance.
The leaflet provides advice on the tax implications of civil partnerships, advice on tax thresholds and and information on pension rights for transgender people.
5,000 copies of the leaflet will be distributed at Pride London on 4 July, at a cost of £1,536.
“HMRC is meant to produce simple, clear guidance for everyone, not spend extra money going out of their way to target particular minorities,” complained Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance.
A spokesman for HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) defended the flyer: “HMRC attended Pride events in 2007 and 2008 where our customers told us they wanted information around how aspects of HMRC business affected them specifically, in particular around the introduction of civil partnerships. This booklet has been produced to address that specific customer need.”
Despite the criticisms, tax experts have welcomed the flyer. “Most of the information in the booklet is very useful, though I am doubtful that the people it is aimed at will ever get to see it,” Steve Bee, head of pensions strategy at the Royal London Group told the Telegraph.
Bee added, “Do you really go to Pride to fine out about your tax status?”
Download a pdf of the HMRC flyer: Tax and Benefits: information for our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender customers.
I think this leaflet is worth every penny. I am in a Civil Partnership and I have to admit I don’t know how this changes mine and my partners tax situation at all so I have just downloaded the pdf. I will read it with my partner when she comes home.
Michelle ∼ June 19th, 2009 9:17 amAs for the TPA claiming it’s wrong to put together tax info for specific groups, I would agree with them if it wasn’t for the fact that when Civil Partnerships came in the legal situtaion for our paricular group changed so I think it’s extremely important to publish leaflets like this. As for distributing it at pride I think it’sa fab idea. Before forming a Civil Partnership I read as much info as I could online about the legal implications. I felt I knew enough to go ahead without legal advice but to this day I do not understand why people say we have ’similar rights’ to straight couples. I can’t find any diferences at all with the info available to me apart from the nomenclature being different. If I was a pride event and there was a stand with this info on I would definately go to it. Pride isn’t just about partying.
The cost of this initiative is so small inthe grand scheme of things. With MPs spending our money like it’s going out of fashion haven’t the Tax Payers Alliance got more signifiacnt things protest about?
What the hell is the problem? What, they want people to NOT know their rights? Some Tax Payers’ Alliance they are.
I’m going to make sure everyone I know - queer, straight, trans or cis - knows about it.
K ∼ June 19th, 2009 9:47 amOn the basis of a quick scan of their website, they’re a right-wing group of Conservatives. I wonder who they’re fronting for?
K ∼ June 19th, 2009 10:16 amThis booklet has been very helpful to me, not only on a personal level as a younger member of the LGBT community, but also on a professional level as I’m training to be an accountant - tax issues obviously being a big part of it!
As true as it is that I didn’t attend Pride this summer to get info on tax, but I’m glad I did get the booklet because now I have information that I felt kept in the dark about before.
Don’t forget that the LGBT community are taxpayers too. They have as much a right to government information on their “minority” as any other taxpaying individual.
Money well spent, I think!
A ∼ November 8th, 2009 8:29 pm