July 2008

Family in tax credit crisis

By Michael Ryszard Koskowski

A FAMILY of four have waited so long to have their claim for tax credit dealt with, they have become a family of five.

Despite both working full time since they came to the Highlands 16 months ago, Edyta and Maciek Łagocki found themselves in serious financial difficulties.

Edyta applied for tax credit but so far has had to wait 10 months without receiving a penny help.

In the meantime, Edyta, Maciek and children, Kuba, 7, and Patryk, 14, as well as new baby Olivia have been struggling to find enough to live on in their flat in the centre of Inverness.

They are not alone. Other Polish families and individuals are reporting similar difficulties, according to a Polish interpreter working in the Inverness area.

Trouble began for the Lagockis when Edyta joined Maciek in the Highlands in February 2007 and later brought their sons to live here too.

Realising that no matter how hard they worked, they could not make enough to live on normally, Edyta sought help. A friend had told her about the benefits system and, having consulted a Polish internet forum in Scotland, Edyta decided to apply for tax credit.

She explained: “I sent the application and flew to Poland to bring my sons. In Scotland again I went back to work – and I waited. People on the forum were saying that some waited as long as seven to eight months so I was not worried – until I had to stop working to give birth to Olivia in February this year.”

Edyta was constantly trying to contact the Revenue and Customs office and clarify the matter, but she could never get to speak to anyone over the phone.

“So I would walk across the street to their office – fortunately I live in the town centre – and call them from there, which somehow worked much better.”

She revealed that the official reply was either that the case was being processed or reviewed. But things were becoming more urgent with the new circumstances – one child more, one job less.

Edyta sought help from Inverness Citizens’ Advice Bureau but her adviser there was not able to speed up the matter.

By now desperate, Edyta consulted the internet forum again and found out that apparently it helps to write a letter. She did so with the help of an interpreter and received a decision in a matter of days.

The ruling was that money would be awarded in arrears for the entire time since the application was first submitted. But relief soon turned to stress and worry again. The couple and their three children are still waiting. They say Revenue and Customs are now sending new forms to update their files before they proceed with payments.

It has left the couple desperate. And other Polish immigrants have reported long delays in waiting for tax credit decisions also.

Alasdair Christy, the Inverness Citizens’ Advice Bureau Manager, admits that waiting for more than three months for the tax credit application to be resolved is rather unusual, and having to wait 10 months is totally unacceptable. The HMRevenue & Customs spokesman emphasises that every application is dealt with individually and judged on its ownmerit, and every case has its own unique service circumstances.

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