Taxman gives the super-rich ‘concierge-style’ advice for free

THE taxman is offering the super-rich their own ‘conciergestyle’ personal advisers while ordinary workers are being forced into lengthy phone queues for help.

MPs have criticised HM Revenue and Customs for making typical taxpayers filing returns plough through automated menus and endure waits of nine minutes to speak to an adviser.

By contrast, wealthy individuals are given their own dedicated helpers, a report by the Commons public accounts committee will say.

The MPs said that it was ‘ unacceptable’ that ordinary taxpayers should have to wait so long to have their calls answered.

And they voiced concern about a ‘disparity of service’ between the treatment of wealthy and other customers.

The rich, with fortunes of at least £20million, receive their own customer compliance manager – as part of its dedicated high net worth unit set up by the taxman in 2009.

HMRC’s website describes how managers ‘talk individually’ with each wealthy customer and liaise with their advisers ‘to ensure they pay the right amount of tax at the right time’.

By contrast, ordinary workers ringing the helpline ahead of the January 31 self-assessment deadline are warned by an automated voice that HMRC ‘is very busy at the moment and they may need to wait longer’.

They must then answer a string of automated questions.

If workers fail to complete their tax returns by the end of this month, they face a £100 penalty. HMRC admitted that lots of customers are ‘very frus- trated’ with its automated service. But it added that improved technology would soon cut the waiting time by 30 seconds.

According to HMRC, customers reached an adviser in four minutes 37 seconds on average.

But this figure does not count the length of time it takes customers to get through a long automated menu, which can double the length of a call.

MPs criticised the taxman for not including this extra time in its data. They said: ‘Most peohave-nots

‘Unacceptable behaviour’

ple would reasonably include the time listening to an automated message in any measure of speed to answer calls.

‘For HMRC not to do so is particularly unacceptable in light of the service the department offers to high net worth individuals who have their own dedicated customer service managers.’

Elaine Clark, of accountancy firm Cheap Accounting.co.uk, said: ‘It seems as though if you have the money you get a concierge service. By contrast, the are being forced to wait for help at a time when understanding your tax return is more complicated than ever.’

A HMRC spokesman said the personal tax managers aimed to slash tax evasion.

He added: ‘HMRC man-marks the wealthy with highly sophisticated tax experts because their affairs are complex and involve large amounts of tax.

‘This is ... why they are subject to much more intensive scrutiny than other taxpayers.’