Taxman unleashes podcasts on the nation

As the summer holiday season ramps up, HM Revenue & Customs has published a podcast offering advice to travellers on what can and can't be brought back into the UK.

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In this latest audio offering from the agency, HMRC customs expert Mark Fuchter explains what items carry restrictions and which are banned altogether. The interview covers a range of subjects including food, plants and wildlife souvenirs, prescription drugs, counterfeit goods and offensive weapons.

The podcast is free to download here.

An HMRC spokesman told silicon.com the organisation has been producing audio podcasts for around a year and has produced eight so far. Subjects range from self assessment tax returns to child trust funds and tax credits.

He said the most popular - self assessment - received around 15,000 downloads in six weeks before the 31 January deadline.

He said: "We find that podcasts are a lot more accessible for the public. Communications from government departments can be quite dry and this has a more conversational style. It's the modern way to communicate with people."

The HMRC produces the podcasts' contents in-house but production is outsourced to a media agency called Brand Spanking.