Call for increased resources to improve HMRC’s digital services

More investment is needed to enable HMRC to develop better digital services urges the ICAEW.

In a letter to the financial secretary to the Treasury Nigel Huddleston ICAEW head of tax strategy Frank Haskew also said that HMRC should improve customer support until these digital services can be shown to reduce telephone demand.

He stated that ICAEW receives evidence of ‘unacceptable HMRC service performance on a daily basis’. The problems went across all service areas and included ‘extreme waiting times on helplines calls being cut off and long delays in responding to post’. Members were concerned that the quality of service when they managed to speak to an adviser or receive a written reply has ‘deteriorated significantly with HMRC advisers unable to deal with the issue and giving incorrect information’.

Among other recommendations in the letter were:

• setting up an HMRC...