Inland Revenue debt collection delays

The Inland Revenue has suffered delays in its plans to install a tax collection system capable of offering a detailed history of unpaid debts.

The system, originally predicted for introduction in August, has slipped behind schedule, yet the Inland Revenue refused to explain why. Implementation has now been rescheduled for September and it will go live on 29 November.

An Inland Revenue spokeswoman said: "This is an all singing, all dancing system to collect tax. It gives a complete history of when the bill was sent out and where the customer responded."

She enforced: "We want to be able to get to the source of the problem rather than doing what British Gas does and send out an automatic reminder. We'll monitor the response to our demands and act appropriately. If paper reminders don't work then we'll go straight for disconnection rather than send out another notice."

The system will work alongside the existing debt collecting system.