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Angela MacDonald (HMRC second permanent secretary) made a revealing comment to the Treasury Committee recently (tinyurl.com/tcev18oct). The committee was discussing the decision to close the self-assessment (SA) helpline over the summer. Jim Harra had said earlier that, broadly speaking, the closure had not had an impact on the number of SA returns submitted over the period and that people had used the digital alternatives as a way of contacting HMRC. Ms MacDonald went on to say: ‘What has been interesting since the trial ended is that that tide has moved back and customers have gone back to the phone. So there is an interesting difference between what the customers would prefer and what they actually can do if we give them a restricted opportunity.’
In a commercial environment customers gravitate towards retailers who provide the services which they want at a price they are prepared to pay. So some would choose to buy from a supplier where they had to pay a bit more, but had a better customer experience. But although HMRC refers to us as its customers we don’t have that choice. If HMRC wants to move us away from our preferred option we can’t take our business elsewhere: we have to accept that our choice has been restricted.
I suspect that those at the top of HMRC would love to be able to offer a telephone service staffed by highly expert operators who answer the phone within five rings and who will sort out each and every query first time. But in reality the funding for that is not there and never will be. We are still awaiting the formal review of the impact of suspending the helpline, but I would be surprised if it said that closure was a mistake. The future direction of travel is very clear.
If you do one thing…
See HMRC’s latest guidance on computer generated tax returns (tinyurl.com/hmrcsam121020).
