HMRC boss may renew efforts to shut down helplines

HM REVENUE and Customs may attempt to close its helplines again despite an outcry over previous plans, the boss of the tax office has said.

Jim Harra, HMRC’S chief executive, refused to rule out future helpline cuts when he was grilled last night by MPS over his proposal last month to shut down the self-assessment phone line for six months every year.

In an embarrassing about-turn, HMRC halted its decision after a backlash from MPS and trade bodies, which warned taxpayers could fill in their tax returns erroneously if forced to rely mainly on HMRC’S website for support.

The tax boss also told members of the Treasury select committee that getting more colleagues to work in the office is “not the answer” to the organisation’s problems.

Mr Harra described the previously planned helpline closure as part of HMRC’S “strategy”.

“I am not saying we won’t return to this,” he said, “because it is part of our strategy and we do think it was effective last year,” he added. HMRC trialled a seasonal helpline closure in 2023 but the plans announced in March would have made this permanent. He said: “I’m very disappointed that we have not been able to take what I regard as a modernising step at this point”.

HMRC has been routinely criticised for its poor customer service performance, with taxpayers forced to wait on average 24 minutes before they can speak to an adviser, according to its latest figures.

Ministers have questioned whether HMRC’S hybrid working policy is to the blame for long waiting times.

Mr Harra, who told MPS that 57 per cent of staff met the department’s expectation for the amount of time spent in the office, has denied the connection.