HMRC customer service is deteriorating, say MPs

HMRC’s already poor service to taxpayers has become even worse states the House of Commons’ Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in a new report HMRC Customer Service and Accounts. It urges the tax authority to take responsibility for how it has failed its taxpayers and to act with greater boldness to tackle abuse and to pursue the debts it is owed more effectively.

The committee is concerned that HMRC has downgraded its own phone services in the hope that people will be forced to go online because this frees up its lines for vulnerable people and more complex cases. But the report warns that phone access has been restricted before digital services are ready. It further notes that not all services are available online and do not offer the reassurance people need.

The report also calls on HMRC to set out a plan for how...