HMRC 'spent £10,000 sending flowers' to taxpayers to apologise for mistakes
Taxman delivers bouquets to individuals 'when a simple sorry isn't enough'
HM Revenue and Customs has spent more than £10,000 in the past five years sending flowers to taxpayers to apologise for its mistakes.
Details disclosed under a Freedom of Information request found the government department spend more than £3,000 on bouquets in a single year.
Its total spend on florists between from 2014 and the current tax year was £10,298, according to The Daily Telegraph.
HMRC said it uses flowers as a way to apologise to taxpayers in cases where serious mistakes have been made.
It added it had reduced its spend on bouquets down to just £860 in 2017.
“For some mistakes, a simple ‘sorry’ may not be enough and we think sending flowers can be a more personal gesture to put things right,” an HMRC spokesman said.
In the past, the taxman has reportedly sent flowers to a number of business owners and individuals deemed to have been poorly treated by the system.
A Stockport café owner received an apology bouquet after HMRC accidentally sent her a tax bill for close to £1bn, before later revising the statement down to £17,000.
Flowers were also sent to a pensioner who had been due an £800 tax rebate, but was instead posted a cheque for just £1.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies