In a subdued Treasury Committee, new HMRC boss tells MPs he is instilling ‘kinder environment’ at the tax authority, but faces recruitment difficulties with push to hire more than 5,000 staff
John-Paul Marks (pictured), chief executive at HMRC was joined by other senior officials including director of individuals policy, Cerys McDonald.
Chair of the committee, Dame Meg Hillier, started the hearing by asking Marks, ‘You have been out in public talking about a kinder environment in HMRC, do you think you inherited an environment that wasn’t kind, and is it kindness to staff or customers?’
Mark’s predecessor, Sir Jim Harra, appeared before the Treasury Committee in March 2024, where he told MPs HMRC ‘does not operate without scrutiny’ and that staff have not been ‘heavy-handed’.
Marks, the former head of the civil service in Scotland said: ‘It needs to be both, we care deeply about our charter – there’s important standards on fairness and keeping customer data secure. We want to live up to that standard.
‘Le
