Where your extra tax will go

Contractors who are looking at massive tax increases will be dismayed at a recent report on the inability of Government to manage this Revenue.

A recent issue of Computer Weekly reports that:

The Department of Social Security has cleared its main services supplier, Texas-based Electronic Data Systems (EDS), of any blame for two major IT failures that could cost the taxpayer millions of pounds.

The decision not to place any blame on EDS or seek any compensation comes as DSS ministers prepare to sign a 10-year outsourcing deal worth up to £1 billion with the company.

As UKTECH reported, The Central IT unit (CITU) of the Cabinet Office under the direction of Ian McCartney is currently conducting a review of public sector IT disasters to see how processes can be improved.

UKTECH can reveal that the CITU takes advice from an Industry Consultative Committee which, amongst its members, includes none other than EDS.

The CITU states: Membership is by invitation only and limited to selected leading senior executives who bring, through their respective organisations, innovative IT solutions and perspective to the issues faced by Government in enhancing service delivery to the citizen.

Many tax paying 'Citizens' will be asking how is it possible that a Company involved in such problems is also involved in advising Government on the solutions to such problems. There is a knowledge gap between the Civil servants specifying IT systems and those who provide IT systems. This knowledge gap can be exploited by commercial organisations whose sole responsibility is first and foremost to their Shareholders. Does it then make sense that the Government engage these same Commercial organisations to provide through their respective organisations, innovative IT solutions and perspective to the issues faced by Government in enhancing service delivery to the citizen.

Why not buy in the expertise in the form of Contractors with specific skill sets? Linux, Microsoft, legacy, Project management etc etc. It would mean that this advice would have to be paid for, rather than these Large organisations providing their executives' time for free, but as they say: There is no such thing as a free lunch