Jane Kennedy, MP

Wavertree MP Jane Kennedy has been nominated for a public service award for helping 420,000 of the poorest pensioners.

The nomination, from the Citizens Advice Bureau, follows Jane's role as a Treasury Minister in scrapping a tax demand to pensioners receiving occupational pensions.

The full CAB nomination reads:

Your nomination
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HM Treasury (and in particular then First Secretary to the Treasury, Jane Kennedy MP) for their decision to write off a tax bill that certain pensioners had not been told about.

Some 420,000 low income pensioners receive small occupational pensions.  Although these pensions have always constituted taxable income, HMRC had not been collecting the tax. In 2008, officials identified the oversight and made the decision to collect the tax. The affected pensioners would therefore receive a tax demand for money they did not know they owed.

In March 2008, we joined forces with Age Concern, Help the Aged and the Low Income Tax Reform Group and wrote to the First Secretary to the Treasury, Jane Kennedy MP, who promptly arranged a meeting. Our campaign partners researched the legal position and found that HMRC were not legally obliged to collect the tax, and doing so could leave them open to judicial review. Ms Kennedy recognised that those affected by this situation should not be penalised for HMRC’s error, and should be given due notice before paying the tax. She announced in June 2008 that the liability for 2007/08 would be written off, and when the Department was unable to notify pensioners in due time, the 2008/09 liability was also written off.

We were particularly pleased with the Treasury’s prompt response to this concern, and the common sense approach applied to it.

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Citizens Advice awards

Without the Citizens Advice service, the 2 million people who turned to a bureau for help last year would still be carrying the baggage of unresolved problems. But we know we could never achieve as much as we do without the support of other individuals and organisations who share our values. The new Citizens Advice awards recognise the contribution that others have made to our cause by upholding fair treatment for all in their own distinct way.

The ‘Best public policy’ award will be presented to the government department or public body (or a particular individual within it) that has been most receptive to our evidence, has responded swiftly and in a way that is commensurate with the problem.

On the night, we will be launching a fundraising campaign that will help to support the creation of a new, much needed national telephone service, Adviceline.