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ICAEW questions HMRC walk-in centre closures

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6th Jun 2014
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The closure of HMRC's 281 walk-in tax enquiry centres at the end of June may mean some taxpayers don't get the right advice, according to the ICAEW.

When the closure of the enquiry centres was announced in February, HMRC said the new service would be more efficient.

But the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, which has around 60,000 members at HMRC, said the closure of the offices will "abandon" vulnerable taxpayers and could cost more than it will save.

The Revenue said only a "very small minority" of HMRC’s 40m customers ever use one of the enquiry centres, and demand halved from 5m visitors in 2005-06 to fewer than 2m in 2013.

However the ICAEW's Tax Faculty still has concerns about the new service.

"We believe it will be a challenge for HMRC front-line staff to identify those needing extra help. There will be a huge variety in both the help needed and the people needing it, and a risk that some will not be able to access the help they need," it said.

For the telephone advice system to be successful, callers must be able to get through easily to HMRC on the phone, the faculty said.

"This applies not just to those needing extra help but to anyone, including those who might previously have used an enquiry centre."

Difficulties getting through to HMRC's enquiry centre and callers experiencing lengthy waiting times have been well documented on AccountingWEB, even with the introduction of a new call-answering system.

Replies (5)

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By janefg
09th Jun 2014 12:56

"Small minority"!
Since when was 'only' having 2 million people needing to use the walk in centres a justification for closing them. That's 2 million people who need them and will be deprived of face to face help.

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By David Gordon FCCA
09th Jun 2014 13:02

HMRC's continuing policy

 

This is part of HMRC's continuing policy of withdrawing direct contact between the taxpayer and the civil servant. Who is rapidly transforming into something not very civil, and certainly not the citizen /subject's servant.

 HMRC seem fixed on following the same track as the clearing banks. No doubt many of us are aware of mow much this policy "Improved" customer relationship with the banks.

 

 

 

 

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By the_Poacher
09th Jun 2014 22:11

Do you want it good or do you want it cheap
HMRC staff and budgets have been slashed but compliance targets have been increased so they have to cut customer services and redeploy what resource is left into compliance

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By David Gordon FCCA
10th Jun 2014 10:41

compliance

 it seems to me that if  approx 2 million taxpayers visited, it is a reasonable assumption that the compliance benefits of those visits might well exceed the overall benefit of stuffing part of the "Saving" into specific compliance staff.

 Not least because those visitors have uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters and friends who will get the message that HMRC may be spoken with .

 Per my experience the reverse is often true, reports of a bad (From the taxpayer's point of view) experience with HMRC spreads speedily round the town similar to the smell from a mal-functioning sewage farm.

 Actually, I think that is an excellent comparison. For the good of our society we need well maintained and managed sewage farms, but we do not very often think about it.

Unfortunately if even a small matter goes wrong, then even twelve miles away one will get the "message".  

 

 

 

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By johnporter
11th Jun 2014 09:18

Uncivil Service Servants

Well it is like the welfare system now. Lets humiliate & degrade everybody so they will work long hours on minimum pay in [***] jobs if available or in some cases no jobs at all & if you don't keep applying for jobs unsuitable for or are late for appoinments cut off all your benefit so they can live on street , food banksor alternatively commit suicide well one less for the Tory/Liberal Toffs to take care off.

Yes what a civilised & fair society we live in

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