Tax office also plans to scale back other helplines, including for VAT and PAYE, in move to ‘online self-service’
HM Revenue and Customs has caused an outcry after announcing it will close a key helpline for six months a year and scale back other phone lines – weeks after it was criticised for its poor customer service.
One senior MP said the tax office, which has been struggling to cope with demand, leaving users regularly facing long call-waiting times, had now chosen “to essentially close down any avenues for people to contact them over the phone” for sizeable chunks of the year.
