HMRC fails to answer 4 m calls
Posted on 22 Oct 2013
HMRC fails to answer 4m calls a year
More than four million calls annually to HMRC are going unanswered, with the Revenue conceding the problem is almost twice as bad as previously disclosed. New figures show more than one in 10 callers to HMRC fails to get through to anyone, compared with just over one in 20 a year ago. The true scale of the problem may be even worse, as HMRC’s audit ignores taxpayers who get an engaged tone when they dial the tax advice helpline. HMRC’s own figures also reveal that 14% of calls took more than 10 minutes to answer, though that does not include the time people spend navigating its automated call handling service. The Telegraph’s leader argues that the government should either reverse cuts made to HMRC staff, or take steps to make paying one"s taxes easier by cutting down on forms, rules and red tape.
Source: The Daily Telegraph (30/05/2018)
