Geoff Bantock
Geoff recently retired after working as a frontline collector of taxes within HMRC for nearly 40 years. His interest in welfare reform started 5 years ago when he saw, at first hand, the great difficulties tax credits overpayments were causing many people, including his own daughter. In 2008, he was chosen as one of only 12 Civil Service Ideas Champions to be featured in Civil Service Live with his idea of a “Unified tax system”.
It was also at Civil Service Live that he first met Simon Duffy and heard about his Self-Directed Support. Geoff and Simon shared ideas which enabled Geoff to come up with his new and improved idea of a Personalised Welfare Benefits calculation system to link up with Simon’s Self-Directed Support.
Geoff feels that the “Universal Credits” to be introduced by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith can be made to work effectively, providing we can come up with methods of accurately defining and assessing need, for both care and welfare, as well as ensuring that people can work out for themselves reasonably easily what their net income will be whether they are working or not. People living in poverty, who often budget down to the last 1p need to know, with certainty, how much money they will have to live on each month, particularly after childcare costs are taken into account.
We also need to build in incentives to save within the welfare system. Whilst the measures to stop error and fraud in the welfare system are laudable, the same strategy has to be applied within the tax system, but the recent written evidence and oral submissions to The Treasury Commons Select Committe on the administration and effectiveness of HMRC suggest that HMRC will find it hard to provide the necessary support within the tax system to enable “Universal Credits” to be delivered effectively and on time.
Whilst welcoming the need for “Real Time Information” within HMRC and DWP, Geoff feels the complete integration of DWP and HMRC is not viable on the grounds that the basis for tax is national, annual and taxpayer based, whilst the basis for welfare is local, monthly and household based. Furthermore, where both welfare and care payments are required, he feels that there can also be a need for personalised care packages.
Geoff currently lives on the Dorset coast with his wife and two sons, and during the week his granddaughter as well whom they are home educating. His interests include walking by the sea, history and sport.