HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) launched a new payroll stakeholder outreach group, the Employment and Payroll Group (EPG) which met for their inaugural meeting in December 2014.
It has been set up to help government departments engage with the wider employment and payroll community and comprises employer and payroll representative bodies, and includes a range of software developers, employers of all sizes and the Payroll Bureau.
The new EPG came about after a nationwide review of stakeholder engagement. It will be HMRC’s main consultation forum for employers and intermediaries, with discussions initially focussing on Pay as You Earn (PAYE) operations and real time information (RTI) reporting.
The EPG will:
- allow HMRC to tell stakeholders about big policy and process changes. There will also be consultation on operational detail. For example, stakeholders will get the chance to review user guidance earlier;
- have regular updates from other parts of government and HMRC;
- concentrate on the big, most pressing operational issues;
- have a structured follow-up process so that issues can be escalated into HMRC more quickly.
The Group will absorb the already existing Employment Consultation Forum, the Payroll Consultation Panel and the Expenses and Benefits Group, so they can function in a more efficient manner.
Alex Rowson, Technical Director at Qtac Solutions Ltd, Chair of BASDA’s Payroll, Pensions and HR Interest Group and BASDA’s representative for EPG, comments:
“Following the first meeting in December, future EPG discussions will be based on payroll issues prioritised by the Group. BASDA members have the benefit of proposing the key issues that affect their business, knowing that their voice will be heard.”
Want to get involved? Join the BASDA HR & Payroll Interest Group on LinkedIn