HMRC accused of 'deliberate' move which could cost millions of workers £900 each

HMRC accused of 'deliberate' move which could cost millions of workers £900 each
-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited


HMRC has been accused of "deliberate poor service" as the January 31 self-assessment deadline looms. The deadline for the self-assessment tax returns is January 31 and taxpayers risk £900 fines for missing the looming cut-off, it has been warned.

Ahead of the deadline, some critics have accused HMRC of deliberately lowering the quality of its phone services. The Labour Party government and Parliament's spending watchdog has raised serious concerns about HMRC's customer service strategy.

The public accounts committee (PAC) has accused HMRC of intentionally running down its phone services to force people towards online channels, a move they say "has damaged trust in the tax system."

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Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, chair of the committee, said: “Given that citizens have no choice but to engage with HMRC, it has a responsibility to aspire to the highest standards of service. Unfortunately, what we have instead is a tax authority excavating its way to new lows in service levels every year.

“Worse, it seems to be degrading its own services as a matter of policy. HMRC is an organisation in defensive mode and needs bold and ambitious leadership to begin to chart its recovery.”Jim Harra, HMRC's chief executive strongly rejected the accusations, stating: "The committee's claims about our customer service are completely baseless.

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"In reality we've made huge improvements to our service standards, with call wait times down by 17 minutes since April last year." Harra added: "We will always be there to answer the phone for those who need extra help. At the same time, more than 80 per cent of customers are satisfied with our digital services."

Most UK taxpayers have their taxes deducted automatically from their wages, pensions or savings, and won't need to file a tax return. But tax returns are due from individuals or businesses that haven't had tax automatically deducted, or that have earned extra untaxed income.