A sorry state of affairs

A recent HMRC performance report highlights that the average time for a call to be answered was 14 minutes with 1 in 5 calls unanswered.

We are also aware that amongst many other issues there is currently a backlog of 8 weeks in VAT registrations.

It is therefore unsurprising that HMRC came under harsh criticism from MPs on the Public Accounts Committee who have described customer service levels as ‘unacceptable’.

MPs have given HMRC 3 months to set out a plan to improve the situation as quickly as possible, but have already commented that HMRC’s plans to address delays by improving digital systems would be inadequate on their own to solve the problems.