HM Revenue and Customs struggling to cope with call volumes
The Whitehall spending watchdog has today revealed that four out of ten telephone calls to HM Revenue and Customs went unanswered in the tax year 2008/09. This equates to a staggering 44 million calls out of the 103 million received over the period. While the department employs the equivalent of over 10,000 full-time staff at a cost of £233 million there are serious concerns about value for money and the standard of services provided.
This comes at a time when the UK government stands accused of overinvestment in the public sector which has produced a very low return for taxpayers. Earlier this week we saw suggestions that the UK government would be closing a number of tax offices up and down the country, something which is unlikely to help the promise to improve pickup rates at HM Revenue and Customs during the current tax year.
Even though there have been improvements in the current tax year, with pickup rates now around 27%, it is difficult to see how a reduction in staff numbers and reduced investment into the department will allow this figure to improve further in the short to medium term. It is now highly likely that the UK government will encourage more and more people to "go online" rather than using the telephone.
Share this..
Related stories
Is the tax credit system due for another revamp?
With news that fraud and errors in the UK tax credit system have risen to an unacceptable 8.6%, compared to the UK government's target of 5%, there are rumours of yet another revamp of the system. This is a system which has from day one had many problems from computer blips, to information blips to a total lack of control on monies which go out. There has always been a significant amount of fraud...
Read MoreUK government rejects calls for council tax band adjustments
Eric Pickles, the local government secretary, has confirmed that the UK government has no plans to change council tax bands in the UK which where last set in 1991 and reviewed in 1993. If a reassessment of the council tax bands was to take place it is almost inevitable that a significant number of families would see themselves pushed into the higher tax band thereby taking more money away from the...
Read MoreLabour Party furious with refusal to investigate Lord Ashcroft
The Labour Party has reacted with fury to confirmation that the House of Lords will not be investigating Conservative deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft's position in the House. This comes after the revelation that he is a non-domicile which means that he pays tax on his UK earnings but does not pay UK tax on his overseas earnings. Lord Mandelson in particular is furious about the refusal to investi...
Read MoreIf we can't trust HMRC who can we trust?
Today's news that up to £1.6 billion may have been overpaid by UK workers has sent many taxpayers in the UK scurrying for their latest payslip. This could not have come at a worse time for the UK government with national debt continuing to mushroom, the UK budget stretched to the limit and a general election to be held within 12 months. When you also take into account that auditors of UK governme...
Read MoreUK budget deficit under extreme pressure
The revelation that the UK government had to borrow £16.1 billion to balance the books in August has caught many analysts and economists offguard. This figure is 63% higher than the same period last year and is in fact the largest shortfall since records began back in 1993. Since the beginning of the new tax year the UK government has borrowed in excess of £65 billion compared to only £26 billi...
Read More