Responding to the Public Accounts Committee’s inquiry into HMRC customer service, the CIOT has repeated its concerns around standards of support for taxpayers.
In its written evidence to the Public Accounts Committee’s inquiry into HMRC customer service, the CIOT highlights a ‘significant gap between what HMRC thinks taxpayers and agents can do online, and what happens in practice’, noting that until the reasons for that mismatch have been identified it will not be possible to find the right solution. It also finds that there is inadequate evidence that measures such as closing telephone helplines will have their desired effect. The CIOT had welcomed the decision to halt previously proposed cuts to helplines.
Recently announced additional funding for HMRC’s customer service directorate is welcomed but amounts to less than half of the ‘savings’ being demanded of the directorate this year. HMRC have a growing ‘customer’ base, and its resources should not be further cut until improved digital systems have delivered the intended efficiencies and resource savings, says the CIOT.
Responding to the Public Accounts Committee’s inquiry into HMRC customer service, the CIOT has repeated its concerns around standards of support for taxpayers.
In its written evidence to the Public Accounts Committee’s inquiry into HMRC customer service, the CIOT highlights a ‘significant gap between what HMRC thinks taxpayers and agents can do online, and what happens in practice’, noting that until the reasons for that mismatch have been identified it will not be possible to find the right solution. It also finds that there is inadequate evidence that measures such as closing telephone helplines will have their desired effect. The CIOT had welcomed the decision to halt previously proposed cuts to helplines.
Recently announced additional funding for HMRC’s customer service directorate is welcomed but amounts to less than half of the ‘savings’ being demanded of the directorate this year. HMRC have a growing ‘customer’ base, and its resources should not be further cut until improved digital systems have delivered the intended efficiencies and resource savings, says the CIOT.
