The extra money comes in the wake of HMRC’s decision to scrap plans to shut down its self-assessment phone lines during the summer in favour of a digital-only service
The Treasury has unveiled a £51million cash injection to bolster HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) call handling capabilities, ensuring staff can respond to more queries over the phone.
This move comes in the wake of HMRC’s decision to scrap plans to shut down its self-assessment phone lines during the summer in favour of a digital-only service, which sparked a backlash from various groups. Financial Secretary to the Treasury Nigel Huddleston expressed his full commitment to equipping HMRC with the necessary resources to satisfy customer demands.
He said: “Many tasks can quickly and easily be completed online or via the HMRC app, but today’s funding means that everyone can rest assured there will be someone at the end of the phone, ready to speak.”
Jim Harra, HMRC’s chief executive and first permanent secretary, said: “We remain committed to expanding our online services and encouraging customers to go online where they can, as we strive to deliver good services as cost-effectively as possible. But we recognise this must happen at a pace the public is comfortable with.
“This additional funding will enable us to improve our helpline service for those who need to speak to us – including the vulnerable and digitally excluded – making sure they get the support they require.”
HMRC revealed that last year it was swamped with over three million calls about simple tasks such as resetting an online password, obtaining a tax code, and acquiring a national insurance number all of which can be done online. On March 19, HMRC announced a major overhaul of its helpline services.
However, the very next day, on March 20, after a backlash from various groups including tax experts and small business owners, it put a stop to these changes. The original plans would have seen the self-assessment helpline shut down between April and September, with customers being nudged towards using HMRC’s digital services instead.
In a Treasury Committee hearing in April, Mr Harra addressed the consequences of not going ahead with the helpline service revamp. He said: “The key pressure point is in our helpline service, where we are giving a service to customers well below the service standard that we want to give them, whether that be wait times or whether that be the proportion of calls that succeed in getting answered by an adviser.”
He added: “And today, a lower proportion of those calls is being answered than would have been the case if we’d been able to implement these changes. Because customers who we would have deflected to the online services are today going through to those helplines.”
