HMRC has today closed its VAT registration helpline – leaving business owners with a wait of up to 40 days to hear back from the taxman.
The helpline, a subsidiary of the main VAT helpline, was dedicated to helping business owners and accountants with questions about their VAT registration application.
The taxman’s figures show more than 85 per cent of calls to the helpline came from customers wanting an update on their applications.
The taxman has shuttered its VAT registration helpline, which it says will speed up its processing time
From today, call centre staff on the helpline will be redeployed to spend more time processing VAT registration applications instead of answering calls, HMRC said.
Business owners and sole traders applying for VAT registration should now expect a reply within 40 days.
Customers with applications that are within the 40 days can use the online ‘where’s my reply’ tool for further information.
An HMRC spokesperson told This Is Money: ‘We are speeding up the processing of VAT registration cases by closing this helpline, which mainly deals with callers wanting an update on their registrations.
‘Processing VAT registrations quicker will provide a better service to customers than telling them when we’ll complete their registration.’
The VAT helpline remains unaffected, and HMRC said the decision to close the registration helpline would be kept under review.
The closure comes as HMRC’s customer service staff launches its second strike in two weeks, amid a campaign over pay, pensions, job security and redundancy terms.
Customer service advisers in Glasgow and Newcastle-upon-Tyne will walk out for four days this week. Staff are also expected to strike between 29 and 31 May, as well as 1 and 2 June.
An HMRC spokesperson previously said it had ‘robust’ plans to ensure it delivered ‘critical services’ for customers.
It marks another frustrating wait for many small businesses, who have been facing delays as HMRC takes months to secure basic tax details.
It comes as HMRC seen huge cuts to its customer service workforce, from 25,000 to 19,500 over five years.
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