Falling service standards at HMRC have resulted in the temporary closure of helplines, but this policy is likely to lead to more errors in the short-term, warns Katharine Arthur, head of private client, haysmacintyre
Having started with an initial budget of £226m in 2016, HMRC has now spent £1.3bn on Making Tax Digital in the name of greater efficiency – and the process is still yet to be completed.
And in what some might call another blow to aspirations of efficiency, HMRC is also trialling seasonal closures of its self-assessment helplines.
The reason is not a lack of demand for the service - instead, it is an attempt to free up resources to deal with mounting problems elsewhere across its remit.
The self-assessment helpline closed on 12 June and is not due to reopen until 4 September. Resource is being redirected to dealing with HMRC’s not insubstantial backlog of mail.
We have also seen the agent dedicated helpline dealing only with certain matters in advance of the 31 January filing deadline, and HMRC letters to taxpayers and their agents are sent without an email address or phone number to reply to, relying instead on an overstretched Royal Mail, and HMRC’s yet incomplete digital services.
