HMRC has ‘damaged trust in the tax system’ according to a report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The PAC revealed that one third (33.6%) of customers’ attempts to speak to an adviser were left unanswered by HMRC. It was also criticised for cutting off callers waiting over an hour and failing to offer a callback option
Written evidence to this year’s PAC inquiry painted a picture of the tax authority’s continual failures eroding trust in the system, with the report warning that services were set to deteriorate further if HMRC struggled to meet further increases in demand from customers.
HMRC received £51m in funding to support its telephone lines last summer, but the PAC said results had drifted further from targets
An overcomplicated system was also blamed for millions of taxpayers already being hit with penalties for missing self-assessment deadlines
Commenting on the latest data, AJ Bell pensions and savings expert, Charlene Young said:
“Taxpayers have been left banging their heads on the table having spent over an hour on the phone trying to reach HMRC, only to find the call cancelled with zero explanation. To add insult to injury, today’s report suggests HMRC may have allowed this situation to develop partly in order to force more people through its online channels.”
She added: “Faced with a tax system so elaborate and convoluted, and a desperate struggle to reach anyone at the tax office able to help with queries, it is no surprise millions of taxpayers end up missing tax deadlines. Of course, with interest rates far higher than they were a few years ago, any late payment interest now accumulates far more rapidly than it has done in the past.”
