Campaign group takes government to court over tax credit recovery
16.09.05

Child Poverty Action Group launches High Court challenge against Revenue

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) today wrote to the Revenue threatening legal action unless they change the way they recover overpayments from tax credits claimants. Currently the Revenue recovers overpayments automatically – CPAG believes the Revenue should give claimants a chance to say why an overpayment should not be recovered from them before they start to claw the money back.

CPAG Chief Executive Kate Green OBE said;

"CPAG supports the aims of tax credits scheme and the additional financial support these have brought, but we are worried that problems with overpayments are putting people off claiming money they are entitled to." Kate added "The way the Revenue recovers overpayments has caused great hardship to some of the poorest families. CPAG believes the government to be acting unlawfully in doing this. We want to see the tax credits scheme working properly. That is why we are bringing this case; we want to ask the court to help sort out the overpayments mess."

For further information please contact:

Paul Dornan
CPAG Head of Policy and Research
Tel. 020 7812 5222
pdornan@cpag.org.uk